Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 68:15-20
Ps 68:15-20
The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains; rugged are the mountains of Bashan. Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the LORD himself will dwell forever? The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary. When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men, even from the rebellious--that you, O LORD God, might dwell there. Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.
Rom 9:16-18
It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
God can choose the mountains of Bashan if he desires, because the earth and all of its mountains belong to him. God can use Pharaoh, harden his heart, and ruin his nation if he wants to do so, he made him king. He is God and we have no right to question him. The world and all that is in it belong to him.
Perhaps one of the most valuable books of the Bible for us in everyday life is the book of Job. We learn so much about God and his workings with mankind. We see the things going on behind the scenes in the spiritual realm. In some ways, the book of Job is a personal application of the book of Revelation. God is God!
Satan is cunning and he is bold. He is ruthless and totally self-centered. In his impunity, he is rebellious and will stop at nothing to challenge God. In all this, he will use us as pawns in his game to tempt us to forsake God who loves us.
God does love us. He will allow Satan a certain amount of freedom in attacking us but at the same time, he will control just what and how much. He allows us to be tempted, but he will use it for our good when we remain faithful. We may never understand why things happen but we can trust God when it does.
O Lord God, creator of all things in heaven and on earth, it is a joy to be your child and to know that you love me. Give me faith to trust you and to depend on you, especially when I do not understand what is happening in my life or why things go the way they do. Thank you for the past trials that have made me trust you more as I feel your presence and see your power. Help me use all my experiences to help others as they face things in their lives. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
