DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-04-01
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 22:1-3
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹ My God, my God, why have You turned Your back on me?
    Your ears are deaf to my groans.
² O my God, I cry all day and You are silent;
    my tears in the night bring no relief.
³ Still, You are holy;
    You make Your home on the praises of Israel.

OBSERVATION: A mom or dad might respond to the pleas of an unruly child ‘don’t even talk to me right now’ and the child will know exactly that there is something that made mom/dad upset. I don’t know that God was upset with David why He made him feel that his prayers were falling on deaf ears, but often there are very good reasons why God may not immediately answer our prayers in the manner we are demanding. Let’s use this scripture as a reminder of the God who hears our every prayer!

APPLICATION: Hopefully not many of you will pick up your cellphones and shout the theme that I chose for today into your phone, like the advertiser did in their commercial! But doesn’t it remind you of that, especially at those times that you are hurting or in desperate need? Don’t you feel like shouting ‘is anybody out there’? Perhaps if we do a better job of thanking God for answers to all challenges, even smaller ones, and not overlook talking to God about the simple things of life, we might develop a sense of confidence in the God who can do ALL things, including bringing the dead back to life as He did with Lazarus. Friends, when we develop an intimate relationship with God, we will know what it means when it seems like He’s not listening and when it seems like He is not hearing or answering our prayers. We must also be very careful to remind ourselves that we are praying to God – the One who knows ALL things and will do only what He knows best for His beloved children. My point is that we don’t want to interfere with God’s plan by trying to tell Him how to correct our issue. There is no doubt that His ways far exceed anything that we might think or ask for, so simply lay your burden at His feet; share with Him how much you are hurting; and also share with Him how you wish for the best in your circumstances, even though you are more than happy to receive what He knows is best. Remember, you’ve built a relationship with your Creator and you know that He has your best interest at heart, so don’t be afraid to share your feelings, even though you want to always accept His perfect will for you. Often, these times of quiet by God is because of sin that you have allowed into your life, or because He wants you to draw closer to Him, or at even other times He is simply wanting to see you dig into His Word and be drawn to a closer walk with Him. God’s ways are always perfect, for He knows the plan that He has for us. Our ways are often diluted with sin and the evil of this earth, so when we pray, let’s remember to draw close to God first. This will help us to not only give in to His will, but it will give us opportunity to align our hearts with His, so that we may be less lightly to ask awry. A sure lesson for us to learn is found in verse 3, for in spite of David’s frustration in the first two verses, yet he acknowledged that God is almighty and all-powerful and deserves the praise of His people. This teaches me that I have no reason to be upset with God, for He deserves my praise – period! It’s me oh God, standing in the need of prayer. Please help my readers and I to concentrate on the awesome God of this universe, and refrain from trying to blame You when our prayers seem to fall on deaf ears and have not been responded to as we may have humanly and erroneously asked for.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for Your unending patience with me. Thankfully, You created me and You know my weaknesses, just as You did with Your servant David. Please forgive me when I lower my expectations of You to a level where it seems that You need my help. You are God, and I am not. May I always remember to respect You for the awesome God that You are. Of course You hear my prayer, please help me to be patient and wait for You to do just that. May each reader be drawn closer to You today, is my humble prayer as we all depend on You in prayer. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!