Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 70:1-5
Ps 70:1-5
1 Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. 2 May those who seek my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. 3 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their shame. 4 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “Let God be exalted!” 5 Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.
1 Peter 3:12-15a
2 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. 13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
There is an old hymn entitled “I Need Thee Every Hour” that really tells of the need for God in our lives. We need him in joy and in pain because life without him is vain. When things are going our way and all is well, we need God to guide us as he fills our hearts with joy. When we are in pain, when we are facing trials and when it seems that all has gone wrong, we need his compassion, his strength and the comfort that only he can afford in our hearts. “Let God be exalted!”
James tells us that the closer we draw to God the closer he draws to us. When we set Christ apart in our hearts and our lives as our only Lord, we can know the joy that only he can give. The peace of God that dwells in us is not dependent on our external circumstances but is based on our relationship with God and our faith in him. He is the God of peace, the God of all comfort and he is love.
I recently asked a young boy if he knew what it meant to make Jesus our Lord. He said he did not. I told him in the old days when a person owned a large farm, that the owner was called the “lord” of the farm. That meant that he was the boss and everyone did what he said. When Jesus is our Lord, he is our ultimate boss, he tells us what to do and how to live. We submit to him as head of all things.
Lord God, it is with deep reverence I come to you today, realizing that I am just a small part of your great creation and do not deserve an audience with you. Yet, as your child and as a part of the body of Christ, I come with the assurance that you will hear me and respond to my cry. I do need you every hour of every day. Help me truly make Jesus my Lord as I seek to follow your word. Give me wisdom to know and strength to live in the way that pleases you. Use me to help others in whatever way I have opportunity to do so. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
