Daily Devotional - 11/13

Prayer Focus - Needs

Day 2
Pray for:
One thing that is needed in the world
One thing that is needed in your country


Pray about:
How it will help those concerned with their spiritual life
How it will help those concerned with their physical life
How it will help those concerned with their emotional life
How it will help those concerned with their mental life



Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear and grant me the strength to obey.



Psalms 73



"Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." ( vs. 1-2)

"This is what the wicked are like - always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning...When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely You place them on slippery ground; You cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! As a dream when one awakes, so when You arise, O Lord, You will despise them as fantasies." (vs. 13-14, 16-20)

"When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You. Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (vs. 21-26)

It is easy to lose sight of what is important. When we look around at others and compare ourselves with others, especially those not following God, we can end up dissatisfied with our lot. Those who are chasing after what the world offers can achieve quite a bit and I believe that Satan rewards them to help lead others astray. We can look at their schedules, which often have more free time and leisure activities, and begin to envy them. We can also envy their financial success as they often use unethical methods to get ahead. We can look at their fancy houses, clothes, and the like and then wonder why we are struggling and trying to do things God's way. But God does not promise wealth and success. God promises spiritual rewards.

If we lose sight of this we can easily slip. It is not hard to get to this point and we become like brute beasts when we start envying. We lose all of our dignity and integrity.  This is not what we want nor is it what God wants for us.  We need to get back to God and enter His sanctuary. We need to remember what will happen to all those who do not know Him. They will not endure. Whatever they are enjoying is for this life only.  When we die, we take nothing with us. Naked we came and naked we go. Without God, they will leave it all here and enter eternity impoverished.  They will be like a dream that is despised in the morning. ]

I don't want to be a bad dream to God. I want to be a good memory, and not even a memory, a good and faithful servant always with Him, serving Him for eternity.  The amazing thing is, that with God, this is possible.  God is still with us, even when we are faltering.  He is holding our hand and guiding us in the way that we should go. Everything may fail but God will not. God is our strength forever.

"But as for me, it is good to be near God." (vs. 28a)



Prayer for the Day


Dear Lord,


We know You are good. We have always known this in our souls, yet we slip so easily. We are like Peter who took his eyes off you when he was walking on the water. We sink. We begin to look at those around us and begin to envy their prosperity and ease. Help us to enter into Your sanctuary on a daily basis so that we will remember their final destiny. Help us to remember what life is all about and that the eternal is what truly matters. We ask to not be like brute beasts but like those that have integrity and uprightness. We do not want to be a bad dream to You. We do not want to be despised when You awake. We do not want to be swept away by terrors or cast down to ruin. Help us to live for eternity and to live clearly and simply. You are here guiding us. Help us to not fight Your guidance, but to embrace it. We thank You for being our strength and our portion forever. You are all we have. There is nothing better than You. We desire nothing else than to please You.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT



1. What things cause me to envy the most? What circumstances and people cause me the most trouble? How can I combat this?


2. Do I ever feel that I am trying so hard and yet it is all in vain? Do I feel this way when I am forgetting all the good things that God has done for me? How can I rekindle my gratitude?


3. How can I enter into the sanctuary of God on a daily basis? What places and settings help me to remember my spiritual perspective and get back to being grounded in what is important again? How can I incorporate these things into my daily life?


4. How is God guiding me? Am I receptive to His leading through His word, others, and my inner conscience? How can I become more receptive? Am I being still so that I can remember that God is God and allow myself to hear His voice?