Daily Devotional - 8/16/10 (9/16/09)

Focus Letter - P



Pray for:
Five things you are grateful for beginning with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name begins with the focus letter
A place that begins with the focus letter
A characteristic that begins with the focus letter


Dear Lord - Please help me to hear Your voice today and grant me the strength to obey.



Psalms 16


"Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge." (vs 1)

"Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.  The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance." (vs. 5 & 6)


Sometimes with all that is going on in my life, I do not feel very safe. I have to be the strong one right now for my family because of my husband's illness. There is no one to take care of me. If you have ever had to be a caregiver for someone you understand. If you are a single mother, you understand. If you have been abandoned in some way by someone, you can understand. I think all of us can understand this feeling in some way. It can be overwhelming and we wonder, "What about me?" Who will be here to protect me and guide me. The answer is simple, though often hard to feel and understand. God will. He will be there to take care of me even if no one else is. He can be my ultimate emotional, physical, and spiritual support because He knows what I need even when I don't.


In this world, sometimes, we will be all alone. We cannot avoid this. Jesus was all alone in His greatest hour of need. All of His friends deserted him. One betrayed Him. What we go through is no different. We have been hurt and we have also hurt. But God is still there. He can restore our souls and He can help us to cleanse out the pain in our hearts. Anger and bitterness are easy to come by and hide deep within our hearts when we have been hurt or let down. Disrespect rages. But we must forgive. We have been called to let go. As we have been forgiven, we must forgive (Matt 6:14-15). We must take refuge in God. Let the vengeance be His and move on. We are only destroying ourselves by our bitterness (Heb 12:14-15). There is no point in it. Pain is part of the human existence and God knows.


The bitterness we can carry around from our hurts can destroy us. We envy those that we think have it better than us. We are miserable and forget that God has a plan. He assigned us our portion. He gave us our families. He allowed us to marry who we did. He has given us our children with all of the joys and sorrows they can bring. He has assigned us our portion and set our boundary lines. He has planned our lives and our times, even while we were still in our mother's wombs (Psalms 139:13-18). Who am I to resent what God has done; to be dissatisfied with the lot He has given me? Maybe someday I will have something better but for now this is it. It is what it is and I am serving God regardless. God is great even if nothing else is.


We must realize that life is not about us; it is not about me being happy. When I strive for happiness, it alludes me. When I forget about happiness and strive for God, it comes and rests in my heart. There is nothing truly lasting and worthwhile in the things around me or the career or the possessions. There is only God and what is of utmost importance to Him; people. Apart from God, we have nothing (vs. 2). I have nothing. I came to this world with nothing and I will leave with nothing. Blessed be the name of the Lord. That is how it always is. Life is fleeting. Good times are fleeting. Bad times are fleeting. Only God is permanent.



God will keep us safe. God will keep me safe. I will turn to God. I will love God and the saints in the land; my brothers. God has made my lot secure. God has made it okay. I will be okay. Everything will be okay. I do not know how anything will end but it will still be okay.



How can we do this? How can we go on with these ethereal promises; physically intangible securities when all we can touch is falling down around us? The answer is here:

"I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.  I have set the Lord always before me.  Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." (vs. 7 & 8)

We have to set the Lord before us (vs. 8). We have to keep as clear a picture of Him, and of all He has done for us in the past, as possible in front of our eyes at all times. If He remains there, if we allow Him the presence He deserves in our lives, we will not be shaken. We must keep my focus on God as surely as we keep it on the road when we are driving. Then He will be our guide and we will reach our final destination. If we clean out our hearts and lift up our eyes; if we focus on God and renew our joy at the delightful inheritance He has given us, then we will be able to be glad and rejoice. We will be secure. God will make known to us the path of life. He will give us salvation and everything else.


God is always in control and it is good.



Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,

Thank You for all You do for us.  We are so grateful that You are in control.  You have given us what You want to give.  There is a reason for all of it.  Help us to keep You in focus and live life.  You know better than us.  You give good gifts and You redeem us from our failures.  We praise Your name.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen



QFT


1. Do I have any hurts or bitterness in my heart from the past? Is there any unforgiveness in my heart? How can I deal with this?

2. Am I grateful for the life that God has given me? Am I grateful for my spouse and children? Am I grateful for the family I was born into?

3. Am I striving for happiness or am I striving for God? Would others say I was happy? How can I change this?

4. What tangible ways can I keep God always before me?

5. Do I believe God will meet all my needs?  Why or why not?  What do I try to use to meet my needs besides God?  Does it work?