DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-04-07
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 22:19
TRANSLATION: New English Translation (NET)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁹ But you, O Lord, do not remain far away.
You are my source of strength. Hurry and help me!

OBSERVATION: It is somewhat unfortunate that much of our time in communion with God is spent asking for His help in some form or fashion. After all, an onlooker might think that there would not be enough hours in a day to thank God and praise Him for His goodness. In fact many of us may feel like the Psalms consist mostly of songs of praise and thanksgiving, but they’re not. As we meditate on the Word today, let us remember that God wants to hear not only our heart of praise, but our needs and our wants also.

APPLICATION: I’ve heard where kids call on their mom so much that mothers have sometimes asked in response ‘child, don’t you know any other name?’. Looking in from the outside, this sounds funny, but a child learns that they could ask mom for anything, as she has all the answers, and could meet their needs on demand (Ha)! But doesn’t that childlike concept continue into adulthood? Don’t we often feel like God is something like mom also? Without hesitancy and without doubt, we could easily say to those around us that our God is all-powerful; all-knowing; Creator of the entire world; Healer of the sick; and Savior of the world. But in spite of being His children, we are still needy and want God close by, every hour of every day. I believe this may have been how David felt. You see, David was going through a situation where his enemies were down to dividing up his clothes, like the soldiers did to Jesus while He hung on the cross. It seemed like death was certain, and approaching very quickly. Although David had been extremely strong during his prime and very independent in his thinking and planning, yet he was at a stage of desperation where He felt like only God could help him escape and go on. You know, as we look at this and consider how David may have felt, how God must have felt, and how we feel today, I believe we could see where this plea of David’s was quite natural, and kind of what God expects. You see, David had grown up knowing that God was with him, directing his path, and protecting Him as necessary – much like how the child of God feels today. However, I believe that God placed David in a position, as He does with us today, where we realize that our God is still enthroned and wants us to recognize Him as Lord and Master over everything. To do this, God must sometimes show us that our power is limited without Him, and that we must still look to Him as our Guide, Protecter, Deliverer, Healer and Savior. Imagine how soon we forget when we are not reminded of someone? Imagine how cocky we would get if we thought that the whole world had no boundaries for us, for we had it all under control? My friends, we still serve an awesome God, and while He has blessed us with an awful lot, yet He is still God. Like David, we still need Him every day, so although we have become independent of our parents, yet we are always at the mercy and grace of our Lord. Let Him be God, for we are not, nor will we ever become God. But He is as near as the mention of His name. Thank Him for His unlimited blessings, and seek Him for all your daily needs. One day soon, we will bow before Him in limitless praise for all eternity!

PRAYER: Although the world may assume that we are liberated and no longer need to depend on Jesus, they could not be further from the truth. Thank You for saving our soul, and thank You for giving us power to overcome obstacles each day that may otherwise pull us away from the cross and lead us down a road of sin and destruction. Like David, we cry out to You oh Lord, knowing that only through Your power and Your immeasurable grace that we are forgiven of our sins and we stand ready for Your return, so that we could soon be worshipping You and the Father in Heaven. We place ourselves at Your feet and pray that You might continue to protect, heal, love and encourage us while here on earth. Please make us acceptable in Your sight, and worthy of being Your witness here on earth, so that You many be glorified on earth by all men, even as You are in heaven. 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!