5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. 9 If you make the Most High your dwelling--even the LORD, who is my refuge-- 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

Try to imagine yourself in the place of Joseph as he was being pulled from a pit and being sold by his brothers as a slave. Put yourself in his place as he was falsely accused of attempted rape by Pothipher’s wife and ended in prison. Think how Daniel must have felt as he was being carried to the den of lions to be served as lunch because he had continued to pray when told by the government that he could not do so. Remember his friends who refused to worship the king’s image and were put in the furnace to be burned. Each of these faced what seemed to be a desertion by their God and were allowed to suffer (at least emotional pain) because of their faith. Where was God and his promise of faithfulness? Why were these things happening?

Each of these (along with Abraham, Moses, Deborah and many others) were people of faith who trusted that God would do what was best and that in the end all things would work for their ultimate good. The more we can see that city of God that is promised to us, the more we lose sight of this world and its false allurements. The more we focus our eyes on Jesus the less we see the attraction of the physical things around us and the distractions of the trials, temptations, troubles, heartaches and pain that we face on a daily basis. The more we envision the true wealth that comes with eternal life, the less we worry about the material that is rotting and will vanish.

O God, thank you for your promise to never forsake me. Thank you for your faithfulness and the peace that it gives me. Thank you for your love and grace that assures me of your forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Give me a pure heart, strength found only in faith, and a loving spirit that can only come from your love in me. Help me to keep my eyes focused on Jesus and the things above and not to love this world or the things it presents. Use me in your service today. I humbly offer this prayer in Jesus’ name.