Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 70:1-5
Ps 70:1-5
Hasten, O God, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me. May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" turn back because of their shame. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "Let God be exalted!" Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.
Phil 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
You may have noticed from reading my devotionals (or listening to my sermons) that this latter passage is one of my favorites in the New Testament. I like the part about “rejoice in the Lord always” and I like to think that we can be thankful for everything and not worry about anything. I really like the idea of having a peace that transcends all understanding. But what I like most is that “the Lord is near”.
No matter what happens, no matter where we are, no matter who is involved, the Lord is always near to us and watching over us. And the closer we draw to him, the closer he comes to us. There is no created thing in heaven or on earth that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Life gets hard, but the Lord is with us. We get mistreated, life is unfair, but the Lord is always near to us.
It is no wonder that Paul says we can rejoice in the Lord always. Rejoice in times of pain, in the midst of trials, in victory and in defeat. Rejoice always. Do not worry about anything. Jesus has it all under control, so there is no need for us to worry about what will happen. Give thanks in every situation because all we have and all we are is from him. By faith, we can have peace that transcends understanding.
O Lord God, what a blessing to be in Christ Jesus and to be your child. Thank you for allowing me to be born to parents who loved me and who loved you. Thank you for blessing me with a wonderful family, for my loving wife, my son, for his family, my siblings and their families too. Use me to encourage others to love you, to trust you, and to serve you. Thank you for the opportunities you give me to teach others about you and how to live for you. Give your protection and your peace to those who are struggling, those who are being persecuted, and those who are in pain. I humbly pray to you in the name of Jesus my Lord.
Robert
