Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 86:1-5
Ps 86:1-5
Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.
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.
Notice in the prayer of David that he begins by declaring his devotion to God. If we are going to ask the Lord to help us, we need to be devoted to him. The devotion of David became the standard of measuring all the kings that followed him, both in Judah and Israel. His heart was fully devoted to the Lord, but some of the later kings were said to be “not devoted” like David or they “were devoted” like him.
David asked for the Lord to bring him joy. Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord and to do it always. “Always” is a big word! But when we are safe in the arms of Jesus, we can find his joy, even in the darkest trials and the most difficult times. This joy is not frivolous laughing but is a joy that is deep within our heart. It is not so much external as it is the result of our inner peace, no matter what happens to us.
Paul tells us to be anxious about nothing but to pray in all situations. When we put our trust in the Lord, we can turn it all over to him and then not worry about anything that happens to us. I have said and written this a lot of times and it comes out as being simple and easy. However, in real life, this is not always easy to do so we beat ourselves up because our faith is weak, and this makes us worry more and ruins our joy. This is where the “pray about all things” comes in, and a part of that is asking for his strength and our patience. Often, as we continue to do this, we find that with time, his joy and his peace begins to flood our souls.
O Lord God, I know that you hear me and that you will respond to my prayers. I need more faith to turn all my troubles over to you and then to really let you have the load. Help me have the heart of devotion that was in David. Give me patience to wait on you and let you do your work in me. Forgive me when I fail to be all you want me to become. Use me to encourage others and to help them live for you and find your peace and your joy. Thank you for all the wonderful things you have given to me and done for me. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
