Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 88:1-7
Ps 88:1-7
O Lord, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before you. May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like a man without strength. I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care. You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths. Your wrath lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. Selah
Matt 11:28-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
There are times when all of us reach the bottom, or so it seems. We think that nothing worse can happen to us and then it does! It may be disease, an accident, the break-up of a relationship, financial, or we get the proverbial pink slip, but we all face these things as a part of life. Where do we go? What do we do? Why me? How do we handle the pain, the grief, the shame, emotional suffering and more?
The other day I saw something that said: “coffee is the answer, but I don’t remember the question”. While that is humorous (and true for some), the fact is that Jesus is the answer, no matter what the question, problem or the situation we may face. Jesus cares about you. He loves you. He understands what you are going through. He wants to help, and he is able to give you just what you need, just when you need it. Trust him as we ask, seek and find the answer.
While it seems that our problems are worse than those of others, that is only our perception. There is no temptation that we face that is not common to mankind. Each of us has our own tolerance of pain. Every relationship is different for each individual person. We each handle our pain, our grief, our trauma, or whatever in our own personal way. As long as we put our trust in the Lord and lean on Jesus, we are doing it the right way (at least for us). Don’t forget that God has put our brothers and sisters here for us to lean on and feel his love. Let God use them.
O Lord, “What a fellowship, what a joy divine; leaning on the everlasting arms.” Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to be your child and knowing that you love me and that you will always be with me. Use me to help others who are hurting or struggling or who are discouraged or depressed. Give me an ear to listen but without making judgements or having to give advice. Increase my faith. Give me patience. Empower me to accomplish what you want me to do today. Forgive me when I fail to be all you want me to be. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
