Scripture: Psalm 13.
OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)
Psalm 13:1-6 (NLT)
1 O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?
2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
3 Turn and answer me, O LORD my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
6 I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me.
APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)
A very good friend of mine and a brother in the Lord is currently going through enough that I’m sure he could recite this Psalm all day, every day. I know that daily devotionals will always serve to get me closer in touch with the Lord, so I believe that this Psalm is presenting an opportunity for me to deepen my relationship with the Lord. You see, it is so very important that we keep a close, tightly woven, inseparable relationship with God, for then when hard times strike and it seems like we have been defeated or put down, and like the enemy has the upper hand, it is then that we can do like David and hold steadfast to the hand of the One that is there for us in the good times, and know that He is especially close to us through the challenging times we are going through. To my friend and to all those feeling oppressed or defeated today, let’s remember that God promised that He would NEVER leave us alone or forsake us. So just how we easily celebrated His wonderful works in our lives when things were going so well, let’s remember that we are to give thanks also in the struggling times when we feel low, because God’s Word says that “all things work together for good, to those who love the Lord”. Yes friend, it is even through what seems to be the most challenging times of our lives that God is still working out His plan for His good. Like Paul when he was thrown into prison, God works in and through all of our circumstances if we hold strong to the faith and believe in Him for all things, knowing that He is working out His plan for His good. God sacrificed His only Son so that eternal life may be offered to all who believe in Him. What is our suffering compared to that? To those of us who feel like we are more than conquerors, and that God is blessing in extreme ways in our lives, I believe that God would love to see us encourage the brother who is feeling down-trodden or defeated or oppressed. Let us look for ways to share that joy that God has blessed us with, let us be His hands outstretched to those that are down and out and hurting. Like David, we don’t need to hide our thoughts and feelings from God, because He really knows how we feel anyway, but let’s always remember that in spite of our feelings and our struggles, God is still God and that He will work through our circumstance to reach and/or encourage another believer, or better still, to reach someone without faith who needs Jesus.
PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)
Father God, please continue to be patient with us, so that even in the times that we feel down and out, that we will realize the awesome, loving, tender hearted God that You are. This life is not about us. Help us to realize that You can use ALL circumstances for Your good, so help us to surrender our lives to You daily, so that You can accomplish Your will and Your work through the good times in our lives, and even through the challenging times. As in the story of “Footprints in the Sand”, help us to remember that the single set of footprints that we see in the difficult times of our lives, represents Your total love to us in ways that carry us through the valleys of our lives. Please give us strength to follow David’s example and trust in Your unfailing love and forever sing of Your praises and goodness, without regard to our circumstances. Thank You Jesus for loving us this much!
àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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