Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule: Psalm 43-45
Devotional Thought:
It is easy to sing after victories in our Christian lives or after things have worked out well. However, it is just as important to sing praise to the Lord after a defeat, or when things do not seem to be going well. God is the constant and He never changes. He is always faithful, good, and present. Do you trust the Lord when life seems to be falling apart? When you have more questions than answers, God is still the same. He is doing His part and faithfully working all things together for our good. We can and should praise the Lord at all times. This psalm is a psalm that the Israelites sang in worship to the Lord after a devastating defeat. It seems that Israel had become a little too arrogant and confident in their flesh and they learned a great lesson. What should we do during times of difficulty in life? (1) Remember God’s power in the past. (vs. 1-8) The children of Israel listened as their fathers and grandfathers told about the faithfulness of God to bring them out of captivity and drove out the heathen before them in the promise land. How sad it is when we begin to think that our victories or strength come from ourselves. Israel openly acknowledged that there past victories were not their own doing, but rather the power of the Lord on display. (2) Remember God’s purposes in the present. (vs. 6-16) When God needs to humble us, it is because our confidence is misplaced. It is because we strive to share or steal the glory from God. He will share His glory with no one! The lesson of the past was, “In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name forever.” (vs. 8) However, in these next verses we find an acknowledgement that arrogance will only bring shame in the end. “Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.” (vs. 14) God does give grace unto the humble, but He certainly will resist the proud. (3) Remember God’s protection in the future. (vs. 17-26) “Arise for out help, and redeem us for they mercies sake.” (vs. 26) I am so thankful that God’s mercy is new every morning and that His grace is always sufficient. I am thankful that consequences are meant to lead to reconciliation. We serve a great God and a forgiving God. When I am dealing with a tough time in life, it is a joy to know that I can rely upon the power God has demonstrated in the past, knowing He is just as powerful today. I am thankful that I can rest in the perfect purposes of a God who cannot make any mistakes. And I am grateful that I know I am safe in the secure hands of my Savior who will always do what is right.
Personal Requests:
• Lord, please help me to never doubt in the darkness what you have clearly revealed in the light. Help me to always trust you in every circumstance.
• Lord, thank you for being a God who is faithful and consistent. A God who never changes, but is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
• Lord, please help me to never trust my flesh, but to always place my confidence in you.