Daily Devotional - 11/2

Prayer Focus - Strangers


Day 5
Pray for:
One person you admire or look up to
One person you met/meet today
One person that is in the entertainment industry
One person in politics
One person you always see but have never spoken to


Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs



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




Psalms 62



"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken." ( vs. 1-2)

"My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty Rock, my Refuge. Trust in Hm at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge." (vs. 7-8)

"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that You, O God, are strong, and that You, O Lord, are loving. Surely You will reward each person according to what he has done." (vs. 11-12)



Nothing else can provide relief and rest for me except God. I can try many other avenues to peace and comfort but they will always be lacking. God is the only one that can save me. He is my strength. How incredible that I can cling to the promise that I will never be shaken. No matter what happens, I will not be shaken if I turn to God for my strength. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)" I will trust in Him at all times, because He is good and He is able. Why would I trust in myself when I am so lacking? Why would I trust in others as well to do what only God can do? I need to get help from others when that is warranted and I need to depend on them emotionally as well. All the one another scriptures in the new testament point this out, but in the end, my ultimate trust has to be in God. Only God can master our bodies and our souls. Only God has the whole of eternity within his eyesight and grasp.

I will trust in Him and I will pour out my heart to Him as well. Although God knows all my thoughts before I think them, He still wants to hear them. That is such a strange thought to me, but it is what God has asked from us. There is something in speaking. It is a commitment. Until a thought is spoken, it can still be taken back and changed. Once it leaves our mouths, it is out there for all of eternity. There is no way to take it back. Perhaps this is why God wants us to pour out our hearts to Him. He wants us to commit to something; to commit to getting help from Him and commit to dealing with everything that is in our hearts. We cannot hide it anymore. We cannot run from it either. We can be healed now. God is our refuge.

Finally, I will remember that God is strong. That is a given which I need to remember. He is not like me. He is more than capable. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). God is huge. "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do." Although these are the words of a children's song, they are apropos. I will also remember that God is loving. He loves me. He loves You. All of what He does day to day in maintaining and running the universe is in an effort to try and bring people back to Him. That is His ultimate goal and desire. He desires that all men are saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (I Tim 2:3-4). God will reward us if we are faithful. He will reward us for what we have done!

"Surely You will reward each person according to what he has done."

Let us do something worthy of being rewarded. Let us get going today.




Prayer for the Day



Dear Lord,


We are coming to You. Our souls find rest in You alone. Thank You for providing us with the refuge that we so long for. We are lonely, weary travelers here. We are so different that sometimes it is tiresome. But You know. You are strong and You are loving. You will be here for us and provide for us. You are our fortress and refuge. We will trust in You. We will pour out our hearts to You. We will commit with our hearts and souls to serving You. We know You will reward us.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen




QFT




1. Am I finding rest in God alone? What other things do I try to find rest in? How can I turn more to God for the rest and refreshing that I need?

2. Am I easily shaken? What does my stability say about my relationship with God? How can I become more stable?

3. Which of the names for God mentioned here do I most identify with? What does it mean to me to know that God has these qualities? How can this help me to trust in Him at all times?

4. Am I remembering that God is strong and loving? Which of these is harder for me to remember? Why? Am I living as if I believed He was going to reward me according to what I have done? What would I change if I truly believed He was going to do this?