“A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.” (Psalm 91:7-8)

We all will pass through the gate of death; so this is not speaking of death. What it does speak of is the truth of those who come into the salvation of the Lord. All around are those who fall prey to the wickedness of this age and do not come into the Lord’s presence and walk in His ways. You only have to look to see what that brings. Come into the Lord’s presence and live in Him.

Lord, You created us and the world has rejected You. Help me, O Lord, in this world of wickedness to see through the temptations that lure and pull me away from You. I can see what sin brings. I know no good comes of the wickedness of this age. Help me, Savior, to look to You and see the goodness and mercy You give to those who love You. Lift me up to be with You.

Savior, You have come to do what we cannot that all who believe might be united with You now and forever. Guide my heart, Lord Jesus, to walk in Your grace and live to the glory of the Father. May I stand amidst the crumbling ways of this world and learn from You to be faithful through all that comes. Open my eyes, Lord, to see clearly the recompense of wickedness. Amen.

“You withdrew all Your fury; You turned away from Your burning anger.  Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your indignation toward us to cease.”  (Psalm 85:3-4)

The Lord did not create us to destroy us. He created us for relationship. Yet, in creating us for relationship, he cannot tolerate the sin that rules in our hearts. His burning anger is turned away by His grace and mercy. Come to the Lord and meet the One who made you and walk humbly with Your God. He will restore you to be whom He created you to be that you may walk with Him forever.

Lord, I know the struggle that is in my heart. Lead me, O Lord, to walk in the way of humility that You may work on my heart and transform it with Your goodness and mercy. Lead me in the way You know I need to go that I may be in Your presence always and live in the way You have established from the beginning. Keep Your wrath buried in the grace and mercy You have given me.

Lord Jesus, the One who makes possible the reconciliation You have granted by grace, lead me in the only way of truth and life that in You I may grow in Your likeness. Help me now and always to see Your goodness and mercy and walk with You, my Lord and my God. Keep me close to You that I may know fully Your grace and mercy and walk in a way pleasing to the Father. Amen.

“O Lord, You showed favor to Your land; You restored the captivity of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their sin.” (Psalm 85:1-2)

Are you worried about times, seasons and events? The Lord who knows all things has told us there are seasons and events and that all of them fulfill His purpose. Come into the Lord and know His goodness is with us each and every day. Amidst even the most difficult time. There are blessings. All sins are covered b y the blood of Christ. Come into His presence and live in the blessing of the Lord.

Lord, You know all things. When the time came for release, the children of Jacob grumbled, but You loved them anyway. When we grumble, You love us anyway. I tend to see things from the moment, but You see them as they are from eternity. Guide me O Lord to know that only in You is there hope. Only in You can I know that no matter what happens here, You have a purpose.

Lord Jesus, You have come as our hope and You have provided for the covering of all sin. Lead me in the way of salvation that I would now and always walk in Your goodness. Help me see that in You my captivity is over. Help me see that though I wander in this age, You are with me and will lead me, providing all that is needed. Lead me in the way You know I need to go. Amen.

Sunday, December 10, 2017 Devotion

“Have not You Yourself, O God, rejected us?  And will You not go forth with our armies, O God?  O give us help against the adversary, for deliverance by man is in vain.  Through God we shall do valiantly, and it is He who will tread down our adversaries.”  (Psalm 60:10-12)

The nations of this world toil against one another.  Men dream dreams of unity through conquest, forcing peoples to join where there can be no unity.  You have established the peace that surpasses all understanding.  You have come to eternally deliver all who turn to You from wickedness to walk in the ways that have always been.  You alone can save, and have saved, the people from their self-destruction.

Lord, I know these words and they are soothing, but in times of trouble it seems little comfort.  Lead my mind to begin to grasp the significance that it is You who is working through all things for Your glory.  Guide me away from the way the world thinks to begin to see Your hand in all things.  Lead me, O Lord, in Your ways that I may be delivered from the vanity of this world.

Lord Jesus, You have come to liberate all the captives from sin, death and the devil.  Guide me this day, O Lord, in the way You would have me go.  Help me overcome the obstacles that will get in the way and lift me up from the pit of despair.  Only through You can we walk in the way of salvation which You have established and which shall last forever.  Help me this day, my Savior.  Amen.

“For behold, they have set an ambush for my life; fierce men launch an attack against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord, for no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me.”  (Psalm 59:3-4)

We often pay the recompense for our own sin in this world although forgiveness is granted to us by grace.  There are times though when others will attack with no real provocation and simply accuse and malign.  In a world of wickedness, these things do happen.  The Lord knows.  Look to the Lord who knows all things and be comforted by His grace to persevere in every time of trial.

Lord, as a sinner, I want revenge when it is by no fault of mine that I am being persecuted.  Grant that I would rest in Your grace and realize that You alone are able to handle every injustice, for You alone are able to discern what is right and fitting in every circumstance, Lead my heart to turn to You at all times and know that only in You can I find true peace that surpasses all understanding.

Lord Jesus, You have experienced the rebellion of the wicked first hand and know the false accusations that were raised against You.  In Your compassion and by Your understanding, lead me through these times of trial that will come that I may keep my eyes upon You and trust in Your never-failing support through all the tribulations of this world.  Lead me through Your grace dear Jesus.  Amen.

“For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to the clouds.  Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth.”  (Psalm 57:10-11)

Wherever you look you see the truth of the Lord.  His creation is evident in all of His works.  The detail and intricacy are there.  Deny some will, but the works of God’s creation speak of His goodness and the order He has set into place.  Magnify the Lord and see that He is worthy of all honor and praise.  Know the Lord who makes Himself known and see His goodness always.

Lord, I get caught up in the difficulties of this life and forget to simply step back and see the creation You have made.  Guide my heart to never forget that You are God and so far above my ways that I can only begin to comprehend.  Lead me, O Lord, to walk humbly before You, seeing all that You would have me see and walking according to Your never-changing will which You established in the beginning.

Lord Jesus, come down, You who became one of us, guide me in what You have taught the disciples throughout the ages.  Help me learn from You how best to walk each day through this world, filled both with the creation which You have made and the wickedness that has come because of sin.  Grant that I would have a discerning heart to walk humbly and trust in all of Your provisions.  Amen.

“Awake, my glory!  Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn.  I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.”  (Psalm 57:8-9)

Look around and what do you see?  Does not the sun come up each morning?  Is not the Lord giving all that is needed for life to continue?  Has not the Lord provided for You?  Yes and more.  Awaken, and regardless what is happening around you, see that the Lord is always doing His part in the midst of every time and place.  Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and provides always.

Teach me,O Lord, to sing to You with the work of my hands.  Guide me in those gifts You have given to use them for You always.  Lead me in the way I should go that I may go there.  Open my eyes to see the beauty of the earth and all that is in it.  Let my voice raise in song and my heart swell with praise of Your goodness to all.  May others know that it is You that I praise, O Lord.

Lord and Savior, Jesus, You are leading the way for as many as come through You to the Father.  Guide my thoughts and actions this day that I may see the goodness that is all around in spite of the battle of sin that still rages.  Keep my heart in joy and away from lament, and lead me to sing a sing of praise this day through all that I do.  Help me, O Lord, to walk as You would have me walk.  Amen.

“Give ear to my prayer, O God; and do not hide Yourself from my supplication.  Give heed to me and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted, because of the voice of the enemy, because of the pressure of the wicked; for they bring down trouble upon me and in anger they bear a grudge against me.”  (Psalm 55:1-3)

I am distracted O Lord, but You alone know the real reason, for I do not even know it myself.  In this troubled world filled with sin, You have called to me to submit to You in the grace You give that You would lead me forth into Your eternal presence.  Bring me away from the trouble of my heart that I would look solely to You for all things.

Lord, through Your Word, You call time and again for us to lay down the arms of rebellion to seek Your mercy and grace.  The pressure of the wicked is all around me, but You offer grace as the answer.  Let me not be caught up in the grudges of this age, but seek Your will and Word in all things knowing that You are Master and Lord of all.  Lead me O that I may follow.

Lord Jesus, there You are offering Your hand of grace to all who will see.  Let me take Your hand that You would guide me wherever You see that I need to go.  You are the master of my faith, so help me step back so that You may take the lead.  Lead me away from the recompense my heart desires in every time of trouble to be satisfied with the mercy and grace You give from the cross.  Amen.

“Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.  O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise.”  (Psalm 51:14-15)

Any who say they carry no guilt walk in lies.  We all are unclean.  Only the Lord can clean us and He will for those who come to Him and willingly walk in His ways.  The natural reaction is to sing praise to the One who created all things.  Come then and learn from the Lord.  Let your heart learn to sung joyfully the praise of the Lord and declare His goodness to the ends of the earth.

Lord, my heart both wants this and does not want this.  I am in a struggle.  I confess some things, but hold back and pretend about others.  Bring me through the place where I play this game to the place of truth that I may now and always abide with You.  Send Your Spirit to nurture my soul that I may finish walking through the Valley of Death into Your abiding light of truth forever.

Lord Jesus, You are the Lamb who takes away the guilt of sin and forever banishes it for those who learn to love the Father.  Come lead me O Lord that I would walk in Your grace from where I am to where I need to be.  Help me learn from You how to be humble and holy.  Teach me to sing praises to You now and forever.  Guide me in the way I should go O Lord and then help me to walk that way.  Amen

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.  Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.”  (Psalm 51:5-6)

Where we begin is the same for all of us.  Yes, we may try to pretend that it is not so, but we all were born in a world steeped in sin.  What the Lord desires is for us to come into the truth, to know the truth and be set free from the bondage of this world.  You go, you do not go, that you can determine, but the invitation has been given.  He will bring you to know wisdom.

Lord, lead me on the path away from sin, death and the devil and to the path of seeking wisdom.  Keep me from wandering in meaningless circles that I may forever hold fast to the eternal truth You have revealed for the ages.  Guide me by Your Spirit to seek the better portion and leave behind the way of the world into which I was born.  Keep me from denial and help me live truth.

Lord Jesus, Word Incarnate and the One who has introduced wisdom into the world, guide me by Your grace to live the life to which I have been called.  Help me see more clearly the ways of this world and the alternatives You grant by grace for those who follow You.  Lead me in the way I go and remove the obstacles before me that would hinder me from learning wisdom from You.  Amen.