Daily Devotional - 9/2/15 (11/2/09)

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 )

I am so tired tonight.  Going back to work from the summer break is hard as it brings long days and short nights.  Hours in the car fighting traffic and endless commitments.  I can hardly think, but I keep going.  What is important gets done and we keep moving on.  My time with God is my only time to myself, but most importantly, it is my lifeline. If I did not have God, I would surely be lost.  First of all, I would not have my family, my husband, or my beautiful children.  I would not be a teacher, and probably, I would not be alive.  I have found rest despite being exhausted.  I have a stronghold.  I have something beyond this life.  I always thought that if all we had to live for was the 9 to 5 and the grow old, get a job, raise a family, then die type of life than it was all so hopeless.  I am so glad that God showed me something different.

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

Besides rest, my honor comes from God as well.  If I had been left to myself, I wouldn't have had any honor.  I was not a very nice person before I became a Christian.  I used people and all I cared about was myself and my desires.  I was full of anger and rage and had a seared conscience.  I was so hardened by sin, that my spiritual transformation took a long time.  I did not change overnight when I decided to follow God.  Yes, I had grace, but the real work was just beginning.  The consequences of only 17 years of godless living have now taken thirty plus years to overcome.  It is hard for me to imagine, but I have been trying to do this since 1983; all of my adult life has been dedicated to becoming closer and closer to God.  It has taken all that time to develop, through God, whatever honor I have now.  What a thought!  My integrity has come through walking through the furnaces and learning the hard way what it means to serve Him

One thing I am especially grateful for is that during all of this time, I have always had God to run to and to hide in.  When the going got rough, as it often did, I poured out my heart to Him and then just slept an empty sleep, letting His spirit burn off the dross of my soul.  In the morning when I would awake, I would be a little bit better; a little closer to the woman of integrity that I longed to be.  The sun always seemed to shine brighter on those days and everything was a bit clearer.  It was as if I could see God shining through.

"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 )


Finally, I will remember that God is strong. That fact is a given which I need to always 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 and powerful. God is able!  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). Let us be faithful.  It is worth it.  I know.  God will reward us if we are faithful. He will reward us for what we have done! Let us do something worthy of being rewarded 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 of 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?

5.  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?