“Turn Your footsteps toward the perpetual ruins; the enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary. Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place; they have set up their own standards for signs.” (Psalm 74:3-4)

The world hates God and the battle is constant. The wicked one wants God’s people scattered and the things of the Lord forever banished. It has been this way since the Fall. The wicked set up competing and mocking signs in contradiction to the ways of the Lord, which lead people away from Him and the truth. Do not be deceived; the Lord is not mocked. He is God.

Lord, I think the times I experience are unique, but they are not. This has been going on from the beginning. Clear my eyes to see the simple truth of Your promises and the hope that You give that I may walk in Your ways. Lead me, O Lord, to become faithful to the call of grace You have given me. Grant boldness that I may stand firm in opposition to the lies, instead living in the truth You have proclaimed from the beginning.

Lord Jesus, You came and fulfilled the law and the word of the prophets. You teach us to walk humbly with You in every time and in all places. Guide me O Lord in the way You would have me go and grant me the encouragement to hold fast amidst the turmoil of this world. Help me now and always to be one of Your lights shining in the darkness of this world for all to see that I may reflect Your glory to them . Amen.

“O God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?  Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance; and this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt.” (Psalm 74:1-2)

It seems to us at times that God is far off when things go bad in the world. Is it God who is afar or us in the midst of a flare up of rebellion against His ways? Everything is sustained by the Lord and He is not far off; but we feel what we feel and we distance ourselves when our lives are oppressed and in difficulty. Walk with the Lord and know that He is always present and His promises are sure.

Lord, the world sometime seems crazier than it normally is. Sometimes my life goes through deep valleys and I feel abandoned. Guide my heart to know that You are always present and that You are there to lead Your people into Zion. Lift up my heart and guide me to live in the hope You give.

Lord Jesus, You came in the midst of turmoil to share the truth of life and liberty granted through grace. It is not an immediate lifting up from the troubles of this world, but Your promise of redemption and the truth of the Holy Spirit that You are there to guide and lead all who trust in You. Lead me, Lord Jesus, in the way You have established that I may learn to walk faithfully with You.  Amen.

“For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.” (Psalm 73:27-28)

The Lord is as close to you as anything you might imagine. No, more, for He is the core of your being. Apart from Him nothing exists. In Him is life and light, for He is the One who causes all things to be. The Lord is the refuge for all, in all and through all. Apart from Him, wherein the wicked dwell, there is nothingness. Of the Lord is everything. Come to the Lord and know life.

Lord, I struggle in this world to find meaning. Yet here You are amidst the difficulties I face and in You is all meaning. Guide my heart away from empty pursuits and lead me into Your never-failing love that You have granted me through Christ my Savior. Guide me to see in You the hope of all ages and to live into the life to which You have called me by grace through faith.

Lord Jesus, You said clearly that You are the way, truth and life and that the way to the Father is through You. It is so simple, but I often make it so difficult. Guide me, O Lord, to live into the life to which You have called me that I may faithfully become whom You are creating me to be. You are my strength and my refuge. Let me not rely on anything but what You give, to the Father’s glory. Amen.

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:25-26)

When all is said and done, what is there besides the Lord? Man struggles to gain what He cannot have in order to lift himself to where He cannot go. It is vanity. The Lord created each one of us for His own purpose and it is to that to which we are called. Come then into the Lord’s presence and walk with Him all the days of Your life that You may find joy in all He gives you to do.

Lord, I wrestle as the world wrestles and do things the way the world does them and it ends up a vain thing. Help me, O Lord, to walk in Your ways, that Your strength would be my portion. I will die, but in You alone is eternal life. Guide me, O Lord, to walk in Your ways and to love Your statutes, for You have lifted me up by faith through grace to be with and in You always.

Lord Jesus, apart from You this life is vanity. In You is the hope of every age. Guide me, O Lord, to walk in the way You have taught me to walk and grow in me Your likeness. Lead me according to Your will that I would forever live in the truth of Your presence, the Holy Spirit’s guidance and all to the Father’s glory. You have given me through Your shed blood the blessing of  becoming a child of the Father. Amen.

“Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory.” (Psalm 73:23-24)

Lord, though I have wandered, You have never left nor forsaken me. In You is the hope of all ages. You are the rock of salvation which is the hope of all people. Only by taking Your hand are we safe. Only in You is Your glory made known. You are the One who gives good counsel and the only One who can and does save us from ourselves. You lift up those who turn to You.

Lord, all have gone astray and not obeyed Your Word of truth. You have spoken and the wicked of this world do not hear the truth of Your word. Open my ears to hear and my eyes to see that I may be altered by Your grace. Nay, not altered, but the old Adam slain that I may be united with Christ on the cross in order to be resurrected with Him to be Your child now and forever.

Lord Jesus, You invite all who will to join You through your death where sin and evil is forever banished and in Your resurrection where all who join You are eternally united. Guide me in the narrow path to see my life transformed as only You can do. Lead me today and every day that I may learn to hear as the Holy Spirit speaks and learn to act as You have shown me. Amen.

“When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.” (Psalm 73:21-22)

Lord, you know how easily we are enticed by the wickedness of our day. In a moment, my faith goes out the window and my words are replaced with those no different than the wicked. I become angry at the evil that is around me and desire vengeance. Things do not go my way and I become senseless and act like a beast in the field. My heart is not trustworthy, nor true.

Lord, Your Word tells me to call upon You that You would create in me a clean heart. Through You, Christ, You promise that I will be made new. Create in me a new and clean heart that I would leave behind the senseless animal behavior and live as a new creation in the grace and mercy You offer. Guide me, Lord, from where I am in this wicked world to where I desire to be in You.

Lord Jesus, only through You can the desire of my heart be enriched in Your grace. Guide me today both to see the truth of that which is in me and also a willingness to have You go to work this day to move me in faith to where You know I need to be. Lead me, O Lord, in Your ways and let them be from the innermost parts of me outward that I may become more like You. Amen.

“How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.” (Psalm 19-20)

The time of the wicked on this earth is short. They live a few years and then succumb to death, as we all must. Their plans die with them. Why do sinful men plot against the Lord? What do they seek but their own destruction? Come to the Lord and you will not meet His anger, but His mercy and grace. Live in the hope He gives to those who turn to Him. Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Lord, I am limited by my life’s span, and in my lifetime, it seems as though the wicked are prospering. They have wealth and fame, yet if I look closely, so many seem empty and without hope or reason for their continuous plotting. Guide me away from such things, Lord, for You have placed me where I need to be and You provide for all my needs. Bring me to where I am content to remain in You always.

Lord Christ, You have come to save the lowly and humble from the destruction assured the wicked who walk in the ways of evil. You have come in mercy to give grace to those who cry out to You. The wicked will go down to the pit, but You lift up to join with You in a resurrection like Yours those who turn to You. Lift me up Lord and hold me close to You forever. Amen.

“Until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction.” (Psalm 17-18)

The Sanctuary of God is Christ, built not with Human hands, but begotten. In Christ, judgement is already announced and the wicked are already condemned. Those who plot their own destruction reject the only hope of the ages. Come unto the Lord and know the salvation He gives to those who leave behind the wickedness of this age to follow righteousness.

Lord, it is a slippery slope that leads to destruction. How easy it is to slip and fall down on the paths the wicked of this world set up. Lead me along the right path for Your name’s sake that I would walk in Your ways humbly and look to You as my hope and provision. Lead me, O Lord, to the place I belong. Guide me according to Your goodness to walk away from destruction.

Lord Jesus, You have come to lead me in the way of life. Help me now and always to see in You the way of life that I may follow Your lead. Keep me from those places where I would slip and hold me up in times of trouble. The wicked have chosen their doom. You have rescued those who hear Your voice and answer the calls of those who cry out to You. Lead me, Savior, and I will follow. Amen.

Thursday, March 22, 2018 Devotion

“If I had said, “I will speak thus,” behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children. When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight”(Psalm 73:15-16)

Left to myself in my times of trouble, I would have betrayed You Lord. In my heart, I already have. Lift me up to understand what troubles me and then come to You in whom all things rest. Help me see once again that You are working all things together for good for those who love You. Raise my spirit to rejoice in God my Savior and lean not on my own understanding.

In times of trouble I want to preserve my skin. Yet, my skin will thus be destroyed. Lift up my spirit to see that like Job in times of adversity, I simply need to keep on the path You have laid before me and live according to Your purposes. I need Your strength and Your guidance to accomplish what You lay before me. Lead me, O Lord, and give me strength to follow You.

Lord Jesus, You know what it is to be weary. You know the fickleness of the days upon this earth. You have come to rescue the lost, lonely, weary, and downtrodden. Lift me up to wage the daily battle in this age against the forces of darkness that rail against me. Help me to follow You always Lord Jesus. Amen.

“Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence; for I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning.”  (Psalm 73:13-14)

We often tire of the struggle to do good, fighting against the stream of the culture.  It hammers at us and weakens our resolve.  We need to be saved.  Salvation is not just some cosmic event that catapults us from here to there, but the daily struggle to keep from being pulled back down into the pit.  The Lord is our help and an ever-present support in time of need.  Turn to the Lord and live.

Lord, I need Your grace and I need the help of the Holy Spirit to guide me through the pitfalls of this world.  Every day I am tempted to give it up and give in to the world’s chastening.  Keep me in Your arms, for I am weak and cannot fight against the wicked.  Lead me to praise You in season and out of season knowing that in You alone is the hope of life and life eternal.

Lord Jesus, You have come to rescue the downtrodden and weary.  You have called for me to place the load on You.  I struggle and want to carry the load myself.  Help me place the load upon You and then look to You for guidance every step of the way.  You are the One who must lead, for I cannot overcome this world and do not need to, for You already have.  Help me, Lord Jesus.  Amen.