Tuesday 18 Aug 2020

August 18: Psalm 133:1-3

Key Verse: Psalm 133:3
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life for evermore.

Devotion:
How would you describe living with God to someone in your life? This Psalm was penned many years ago and it relates to how they lived, behaved and governed their lives back then. It may not mean so much to us nowadays because our modern lives seem to be so far different from these words… We now have all manner of things going wrong around the world today with so much political upheaval and so many social injustices happening all round the world. How do we stop and take time out with God in this chaos?

Well, much the same as they did back then. We have to put aside the horror which surrounds us long enough to focus on the good things which have happened in our lifetimes. Yes there are good things, but sometimes they are buried deep in chaos and trouble! God wants us to remember those good times and to use the memories to build up our own hope and faith because it is those times which can strengthen us in times of deep trouble.

Trouble and natural horrors are always going to be with us – this is the world we live in. But when we focus on the good and the pleasant times, we can think of more good things and more good times. I know it is easy for someone to say “just remember the good times” and I know the bad and sad time do overwhelm us much of the time, but we really do need to try and remember the good times so we stop focusing on the world around us and look to God instead.

I have found the last couple of weeks have been tough as we remain in the “in between state” of half good and half bad things going on around us. Whilst it looks like there can be an end to this pandemic and the stress it brings into our lives, we also see failings in so many places which bring doubt to those hopes. God has shown us many good times in the past and we need to hold firm to those good times so we can hold firm to God and what He has in store in our futures!

Points to Ponder:
How much of your time is spent worrying about things around you?

How much time do you try to remember the good times with God?