Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 88:13-18
Ps 88:13-18
But I cry to you for help, O Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before you. Why, O Lord, do you reject me and hide your face from me? From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death; I have suffered your terrors and am in despair. Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me. All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me. You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.
2 Thess 1:6-8
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
God is just. Justice is a part of his nature and as God, by definition, he cannot be unjust. He is the source of justice while Satan is the source of injustice. The devil would like to make us believe that God is not fair or that he is not always right, but this is a lie. One of the most effective tools that he can use to convince us that God is not just or fair, is our own lack of understanding. This is because we see things from the perspective of time and this world. God is above both.
But why me? One of the great mysteries from the Bible (in my mind) is why did God allow James (the brother of John) and then Stephen to be killed but kept the others alive? He even intervened with angels and miraculous powers to save some of them but let these be put to death. By faith, I know that as God, he was right. This is the key, our faith. If I reason that God is not fair, my reasoning is wrong.
We see the justice of God demonstrated in Jesus. All mankind has sinned and the justice of God demands that all of us be put to death for our sin, both physical death and spiritual death. But he sent Jesus to the earth to live as one of us, flesh and blood, with all the trials and temptations that we face, but without sin. Jesus fulfilled this mission and then gave himself to die in our place, for our sin. “He [God] did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26)
O Lord God, keep me from being deceived and falsely accusing you of being unjust or unfair. Give me wisdom to know you and your Word better, so my faith will be stronger, and I will trust you in all things. Help me live in a way that others will see Jesus living in me and his name will be glorified. Forgive me when I fail. Help me guard my mouth so that I don’t complain or gossip. Give me a pure heart, a heart devoted to you and full of your peace and joy. Use me to encourage others as they deal with their problems and trials. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
