Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 12:5-8
Ps 12:5-8
“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever. On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.
Rom 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
It takes a certain kind of person to be able to handle some professions. We have a friend who wanted to become a nurse and work in the trauma unit at a Children’s hospital and another who wanted to work at St. Jude with children who have cancer. Both accomplished their goals and are there now. One of them married a man who is a nurse in the burn unit of a major hospital. Any of these jobs (at least in my mind) would require a lot of mercy and compassion, but at the same time, having almost a heart of stone. I admire them and am thankful for their skills.
God is a God of mercy and compassion. He told Moses that he heard the cries of his people in Egypt and wanted to deliver them. Jesus wept when confronted with dear friends whose brother had just died. He stood at the throne in heaven when Stephen was being stoned to death for his faith. He knows my troubles and what I face, and he knows yours as well. He not only knows, but he also has the solution.
When we put our trust in God and in the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross, we can live in hope. He has given us his Spirit to live in us and by his power we can overcome anything that we face in life. But this requires that we understand that to leave this world and to be with him is far better than staying here. It is easy for us to say this but to really believe it is much more difficult. While on earth we will face problems. We will have hard times. We will hurt, physically, mentally, emotionally and probably at times, even struggle spiritually. But with the power of the Spirit, we will get through it all and go to live with God in eternal bliss!
O Lord God, fill me with your Spirit so I will rejoice in the Lord always and be filled with hope and with your peace. When I face troubles in life, it is easy for me to get down in the dumps and begin to feel sorry for myself and that just leads to depression. I know that all of this is because I am looking inward instead of fixing my eyes on Jesus and on the things above. Forgive me. Strengthen me. Empower me to choose to rejoice because of the hope you give me. Help me be more grateful and more aware of your blessings. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
