Sunday Reading: Psalm 33:12-22
Key Verse: Psalm 33:22
22 Let Your mercy, O Jehovah, be on us, according as we hope in You.
Devotion:
If you went round a group of people and asked each one of them what a position of strength was and what would give them strength in a battle, each would probably give you a different answer according to how they looked upon earthly things. Nowadays we may not say that a horse would give us strength but rather a tank or a helicopter gunship – but what strength is that actually giving you? It is probably giving you an advantage over your enemy but if your enemy has equal hardware then you are on equal footing again but with the disadvantage of knowing that the first hit will definitely kill rather than maim!
We all like to think that we have the best ideas and that we will use them to the best advantage in the hour of need. We like to think that we know better than our enemies, and even better than our teachers in some cases! But there is One who has knowledge and wisdom far beyond our comprehension and that is God. Each one of our lives is in His hands. He is the one who created everything and maintains everything. Without Him we are but dust. If we want to be sure that God is going to look on us with favour, then we have to make sure that we show Him the respect due and fear Him.
Nothing we can do on our own will gain us salvation because salvation is from God through Christ Jesus alone. All those who have a reverential and conscientious fear of Him will go forward believing on His name, Trusting His Word and Hoping in His mercy. In difficult times He will help us. In times of danger He protects us. We may still fall by human standards, but by heavenly standards we are safe and secure. We still live in a world that is bent on destruction so we should not wonder why things go wrong; but what we can do is stand up and show others that we trust in our God and that He supports us. We can do that by hoping in His mercy, allowing others to see that we do trust Him and stand firm on His Word. He will always give us the peace that passeth understanding when we require it so long as our hope is in Him.
Points to Ponder:
What earthly things encourage you?
Do you realise how much God can do for you?
