To whom do you turn for blessing and protection?
11 Jul 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
Psalms 4
Psalms 5
Psalms 6
Acts 16:16-40
For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield (Psalm 5:12).
To whom do you turn for blessing and protection?
Abraham rescues his nephew Lot from captivity (Genesis 14). Perhaps the father of faith is concerned that those who detained Lot will retaliate for freeing him. Moses reports, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward’” (Genesis 15:1). God assures Abraham of His protection and continued blessing; He is the only One who can produce these things. This is why David turns to God while fleeing from his son Absalom. The king on the lam cries out, “But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head” (Psalm 3:3). Let’s also look to Him.
Employment Point: Trust in the Lord for His blessing and protection.
——————-
Reflections
Recently I have always been reminded of Psalms 121. Psalm 121:1-2 NIV
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
This is a great help to look up to. For truly, there’s no one greater than He.
“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”Psalms 4:8 NIV
- Psalms 4 is filled with David’s trust in the Lord and especially in this verse 8. Even when he is on the run from his son Absalom, David knows that the Lord will protect him. He is able to have a peaceful night’s rest not because he sleeps comfortably but because he rest in the palm of God’s hands.
- When you rest having this kind of comfort knowing that He looks after you, you will be able to rest in peace.
- This is also a prayer I say every night before I rest as I commit my sleep into His hands. I pray that for you, you will also enjoy a peaceful night’s rest every single night.
In the header of Psalms 5, it says for the director of music. for pipes. In Psalms 4, it was stringed instruments. David was not just a man after God’s heart. He is also a musician who worships the Lord with his heart.
“Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”
Psalms 5:12 NIV
- I like how David ask the Lord for His protection and yet at the same time plead for all who are in the same fate. It’s a reminder for us that we too, can also pray for the others while we pray for others. The prayers we pray can also be extended for others. Let’s continue to pray and stand in the gap.
“I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.”Psalms 6:6-9 NIV
- I like how David begins this Psalms telling the Lord how bitter he feels and how sad he was, and later was somehow uplifted in spirit and claims that the Lord hears his every prayer and accepts it.
- It happens to me sometimes, that when I have no one to turn to and can only cry to the Lord, He has the ability to lift up my spirits and grant me peace.
- Indeed the Lord hears our every prayer and petition. We may not see anything but the Lord is working in the background and preparing us for the way forward. Trust Him to deliver us.
“They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.””
Acts 16:31 NIV
- the jailer saw how righteous Paul and Silas was. That even when the doors were all flung open and unlocked, no one tried to escape prison. He would have been in deep trouble even if one of them escaped. In normal circumstances, any prisoner would have likely run away but everyone in the cell remained. The jailer realised that these men are extraordinary as their prayers and worship even cause the ground to shake. Praise be to God.
- so yes believe in the Lord. Truly we will all be saved. We and our households.
“But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.” The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.”
Acts 16:37-38 NIV
- Paul and Silas did not kick up a fuss when they are thrown into jail. They did only when they were released. Sometimes it’s the same for us too. We suffer in silence and only later were we being vindicated.
- Lord have mercy and grace upon us. That whatever suffering we may be going through will not be too great for us to bear…
——————————
The Spiritual Saint
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
July 11
I want to know Christ. —Philippians 3:10
The aim of the spiritual saint isn’t self-realization; it’s to know Jesus Christ and to realize his life in any and every circumstance. Spiritual saints embrace everything that comes their way with a reckless abandonment to their Lord. They don’t believe that the circumstances of their lives are haphazard or random; they don’t divide their lives into “secular” and “sacred.” Instead, they view every moment, every situation, as a God-sent opportunity for gaining knowledge of Christ. Even when they are engaged in the most menial work, spiritual saints take the initiative to manifest their Lord.
How do I view the work I do? If I view it as an opportunity for self-realization, I am enthroning work itself. Spiritual saints enthrone Jesus Christ in their work, no matter what the work may be.
“Jesus knew . . . that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he . . . poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet” (John 13:3–5). Every phase of our life has its counterpart in the life of Jesus. At this moment in our Lord’s life, he performed a menial task. Yet even here, in this act of subservience, Jesus manifested his relationship to his Father. The Holy Spirit is determined that we will manifest Jesus Christ in this same way in every domain of life. The Spirit will bring us back to the same point, again and again, until we do.
Do I know the Lord as I should, in every aspect of my life? Do I know him today, at this very minute? If not, I am failing him. Let me take on the attitude of the spiritual saint and begin to know Jesus Christ in every set of circumstances God sends my way.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible.
————————
Reflections
This devotional reminds me of the day when a few of sat down for a short discussion on Isaiah 60:1-22. One of the question was: Isaiah 60 describes the New Jerusalem as including the best that every people and nation has to offer. How does this change the way you think about your work, including the good you strive to do in the world today?
All of us have different views but it all converged into a focal point that we are working for the Lord and not for men and that the Lord is concerned about our hearts and our attitudes and not what we give. In other words, He doesn’t look at our work and judge it to be good or not good enough. He is more concerned if we have the heart of God when we do His work, regardless of mundane it may be or how insignificant it may be.
I believe that even a cleaner that is working for the Lord will do his work wholeheartedly because he is not serving man. I think it is about having that servant heart to serve.
Our work may not be the most perfect piece of work. But it would be something that we put in our best effort to do. And that is good enough for the Lord. Unless we are not being so then maybe, it may not be best effort. But who can say one did not do their best? Only the Lord knows.
In the midst of the discussion, I saw a picture of child scribbles and in that moment I have this sensing that even as a child, when his best at that time is plain scribbles and gives it to his father, his father would be so pleased because he drew it for the father and presented it to his father. He was not aware if it was nice or not to the other’s eyes but he wants his father to receive this special gift for him.
Friends, at that point in time, I felt the father’s heart. That very piece of scribbles was the best gift he can receive from his dear son. It is from someone precious to him. The son need not be an artist to draw him a picture. It is his heart, that he seeks.
Similarly, it is our heart that He seeks. So long as we intended to present to Him the work that we do, that we dedicated it all to Him, actually it is enough. It may not be the most perfect piece of work but it is the best piece of work from His beloved son. It is all that is.
Let’s pray:
Dear Abba Father, we are grateful for this relationship that we have with You. One that we can You Abba Father. In this special relationship, help us to realise that You don’t need us to be perfect, nor do You want us to work into perfection, for that is impossible to achieve. Help us Father, to understand that if we give, to fully surrender everything into Your hands and not to be concerned of what others say or think, for we worship You and not men. Thank You Father. I. Jesus’s name we ask and pray. Amen 🙏🏻
Comments
Post a Comment