May 11: Psalm 31:1-5
Key Verse: Psalm 31:5
Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
Devotion:
What an awesome reminder of how prayer and faith must always go hand in hand. Here David is in distress of some description and so lifts up his prayers to God, not just to plead with God and ask for deliverance, but to depend on God to answer his prayers – that is faith; believing your prayers will be answered, not because it’s the right prayer at the right time, but because God is faithful!
Each time I hear someone say God has not answered a prayer because it was not the right prayer to pray I cringe and want to ask God to forgive them – but I know I am guilty of doing this too! It is not up to us to question whether we are asking the right thing at the right time, but simply up to us to lift up our prayers to God and wait patiently for His answer. You may well be surprised at His answers!
I know the feeling of someone wrapping their arms around you to show you they care or to help you see things are going to be OK. I love the feeling of a good honest hug and I miss not being able to hug people while this virus remains rampant in our world; but I know God continues to hug me and to comfort me because I know He is faithful and loving beyond anything we can imagine! David knew this too and pleads with God to come quickly and wrap His loving arms around him – because God is his rock and fortress, the safest of places he has ever known!
I marvel at the thickness of the walls of some of the castles I have visited here in the UK and know they have protected so many people in the past just because they are so strong. They have nothing in comparison to the love and security we can have from God – if we come to the fortress which is His love and faithfulness. But it may well test our faith because we cannot see the fortress like we can see a castle; and we cannot see the traps which are before us that the evil one has placed in our way… we simply have to trust in God!
Points to Ponder:
Do you find it hard trusting in the unseen?
Can you think of God as being the biggest and strongest fortress you can imagine?
May 10: Acts 7:54-60
Key Verse: Acts 7:56
“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Devotion:
I had to sit and read this through a few times before bringing it to you today; I just cannot imagine what it would be like to have been in Stephens place! We don’t like to think too much about the persecutions which many Christians face around the world – I think the most I have had to face is the name calling and on a couple of times people being ‘in your face’ shouting at you with various fluids coming from their mouths as they shouted! Not something we would like to face during this pandemic!
But Stephen here did not relent in his support for Christ and in his telling of the truth about Christ. God looked down on him and reached out with a hand of support which we don’t often get to see in our lives. God opened up Stephen’s sight and allowed him to see Christ together with God – the place of peace and rest where he would shortly be! I think the joy of such a sight would overcome me!
What did the people around him do? They covered up their ears just in case they heard the truth and were convinced by it, and they laid their hands on him, dragging him out of the city so they could stone him! Now as children we used to go off into the bush and get lumps of soft clay which we would put on the end of sticks and throw the clay at others. It hurt when one of those lumps hit you – and they were soft clay! I cannot imagine what it would be like to have loads of stones thrown at you…
But because of the love God reached out with toward Stephen and the peace which that brought to him, he was willing and able to ask God to forgive them because they did not understand the truth. I know what it is like to have God’s protection and I know the strength it gives you to carry on doing His work. I just pray we would not have to face such a time as Stephen faced here; I pray the world will see what is right and turn to God instead of standing on its pride and rejecting Christ like many do!
Points to Ponder:
Have you asked God for protection?
Will you trust Him to protect you as you step forward in His name?
May 9: Psalms 23:1-6
Key Verse: Psalms 23:4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Devotion:
When was the last time you just stopped and accepted your current situation as being acceptable? I’m not talking about those moments when we stop and give in, being just a fleeting moment, but stopping and giving the best part of the day over to accepting what you have right now as being acceptable!
I have not written about this Psalm for quite a while now, but when I first started writing devotions I would turn to it often because of the great comfort I got out of it, no matter what was happening in my life. So, now most of us are in the same boat around the world as we step back from normal life, let us try to accept this as being normal and acceptable for this season. Let us stop the arguing and bickering, stop the boasting and greed and simply give this time back to God in prayer and worship.
I have stopped the constant moaning and groaning of the news people and put on a few hours of worship music. I intent to give as much of this day as I can to Christ and not to do my normal worrying or researching or working, after all it is a bank holiday here in the UK as I write this devotional.
Read through each verse or phrase and stop and think about what it means to you – not what the philosophers say, not what the bishops and priests say, but what God says to you in your heart as you read the verses. Already as I read through the Psalm while I am writing I feel encouraged and strengthened, not because I am weak, but because the words are so strong. Last year I walked through that dark valley with those closest to me sharing those dark times. All I had was a single light at the end of the tunnel, not that I could see it, but I knew it was there; but I still did fear because it was unknown… much like what many of us are going through now. Lift up God. Worship your Saviour and bask in His light and not be tempted to go out and socialise until it is safe xxx
Points to Ponder:
What are you going through right now?
Will you stop and take God’s hand and walk with Him?
May 8: Luke 10:8-12
Key Verse: Luke 10:9
Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
Devotion:
When Jesus wanted people to go and tell others the gospel He picked about 6 dozen people to go and reach out to others – but it is interesting how He sent them out. He did not send them out as evangelists who would try to convince everyone as quickly as possible but asked them to go out peaceably and to find the people of peace in the communities. Reaching out to the people who are known as the ones who others look up to in spiritual ways is so very important!
We often think of the ways in which we can reach others and make plans for wonderful mass gatherings or praise parties where we can all jump about and praise God as loud as we can, but most often the way to reach a community is by going there and becoming a part of that community first of all. Joining in with the people of peace in the community allows us to become part of that community – that is when and where we can make a big difference, just by being there and showing people how we live!
When I look back at some of the townships back in Zimbabwe I remember places which did not seem to have much hope. Yes there were a few people there who had hope and they tried to allow others to see it, but because of the noise of the outside world and the racial hatred which had been built up, they were often overlooked or kept quiet.
Jesus is asking us to be like these people He sent out and to go into our communities and raise the banner of hope – allow people to see there is hope and there can be comfort in this time of despair! There were only a couple of times when I was able to go into the townships and just be part of the community rather than being the enemy and I will treasure those moments because they gave me hope of a brighter future.
Points to Ponder:
How dull or bright do you see your community as?
Will you help to switch on the lights and allow hope to come in?