Psalm 118.6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 118.6  

“The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?” – Psalm 118.6

Our culture today, and I speak specifically of the United States, has become one of fear.  It started with the introduction of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first quarter of 2020 which brought about a society where everyone began separating themselves from everyone else.  This has caused many who, in fear, will not go out and help others who are in need.  However, in so doing, many will find themselves alone and without the means to make necessities happen.  And these necessities may take the form of words of encouragement or simply joy in their lives.  We do not have need to fear, for God will protect us from everything, including pandemics.  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust! For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence.” Psalm 91:1-3. 

Now, I want to assure everyone that I do take this COVID-19 seriously.  I take appropriate precautions to

ensure I do not endanger anyone regarding this pandemic.  However, our leadership at times have taken this to a ridiculous level.  This has brought about the destruction of many great small businesses which has resulted in a financial crisis for many people.  And because of some of the bad decisions made by our leaders, fear has been spread throughout our society.  However, we must always remember that our God is a healer.  “A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;” Psalm 103:1-3. 

But there is another area that people fear, and that is the loss of freedom due to the results of the latest election.  Many see the rise of a government-controlled society, basically socialism, which will restrict many freedoms we currently enjoy in this country.  They have already attempted to control churches by calling for no more than a handful of people at each service, as well as restricting what can be done in each service.  Our new leadership desires to control every aspect of our lives.   

However, let us always remember the words David wrote in our focus verse.  “The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?” Psalm 118:6.  We have no reason to fear as Christians, for the Lord Almighty is on our side.  And because of this, we can know that He will always be with us.  There is absolutely nothing man can do to us that we cannot trust God to bring us through.  “Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me.  My foes have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me. When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?  All day long they distort my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil. They attack, they lurk, They watch my steps, As they have waited to take my life.” Psalm 56:6.  David is saying that no matter what man says or does, He puts his trust in God, and nowhere else.  And because of this, he would not be afraid.  And we have that same promise of protection.    

 I want to encourage everyone in that no matter what, man can do nothing to us that God does not see and protect us through.  We should see troubles from man in the same way as David saw it.  “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?” Psalm 27:1.  He is our light and salvation.  We have no reason to fear anyone or anything because we can trust Him in all things.  Do we trust Him like this?  Are we afraid of how people think about us and their reactions to the things we do or say?  Are we afraid of what lies ahead?  There is no reason to fear when God is our protector.  “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.” Psalm 138:7.  No matter what troubles come upon us. God is with us.  He will stretch out His right hand and save us.  We are His, and there is nothing that can thwart His protection.  So no matter what happens, it will not defeat us, for God will not allow it to.  So trust Him with all you are, be at peace, and let not this world make you afraid.  Remember the words of Jesus when He said, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Psalm 9:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 9:1   

“I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders.” – Psalm 9:1

Today is Thanksgiving.  History.com gives us a brief synopsis of the beginning of this holiday.  “Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2020 occurs on Thursday, November 26. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.”

They had much to celebrate what with the colonies landing safely on this new continent as well as fellowshipping with a Native American tribe, sharing their thanks for the autumn harvest.  And I do not wish to minimize this, However, when we look in Psalm 9, we see so much more we can be thankful for.  We see in our focus verse that David was extremely thankful for all that God has done.  This is noted by the phrase “with all my heart”.  He is saying that he is thankful with everything he has.  Not with divided affection or with partial gratitude.  What is meant is that with everything he is and with all that he has, he will be thankful to God.  Then he says, “I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:2.  And not only will he give thanks, but he will exalt and express joy regarding the Lord. The Lord brought him great joy which he expressed here. 

Then He lays out some of the attributes of God that have been displayed that he rejoices and exults in.  “But the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment, And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble; And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.” Psalm 9:7-10.  Notice these wonderful attributes.  He abides forever, He executes judgement with fairness and equity.  He is a stronghold to the oppressed, and in times of trouble.  We can trust Him in all things, and He will never forsake those who seek Him. 

In other places, the same declaration of praise to God is found.  “Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly.” Psalm 111:1. And, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;” Ephesians 5:20.  He was filled with gratitude for all that God is, what He is doing, and His love and mercy toward him. 

Let us take time to look back and see all that God has done for us; how He has saved us from the penalty of our sins. How He has protected us through troubling times, has supplied our every need, and fulfilled every promise He has made to us. No matter our need, He is there to meet it.  “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.  Let each of us take time on this Thanksgiving in giving thanks for everything He has done for us.  For we have so much to be thankful for in all He has done, and the love He shows us. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all and I pray it will be a wonderful blessing to everyone.  God blesses us with blessings all the time, and sometimes we do not see it that way.  However, remember these words which are so beautiful in what they express.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30.   

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Psalm 86:5

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 86:5 

“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.” – Psalm 86:5  

David in this Psalm is crying out to God for help.  He starts by asking God to listen to his plea. “Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me; For I am afflicted and needy.” Psalm 86:1.   It is very apparent that he is struggling and in need of God’s help.  He then asks that God would be gracious to him.  “Be gracious to me, O Lord, For to You I cry all day long. Make glad the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.”  Psalm 86:3-4. In whatever was going on in his life, he was asking God to take away his sorrow and give him joy once again.  He ends this verse by declaring that only to Him does he lift up his soul.  Only to Him does he go for help.  He lifts himself up to God in prayer to help him in this time of trial.

Then we come to our focus verse, and in this he declares why.  “For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive.” Psalm 86:5a.   David here is saying that God is a good God, one who is completely good in every way, from whom every good gift comes from.  He is in all ways good, and there is nothing in or about Him that is not good.  And when we sin, He is ready to forgive us because of His goodness, and also the love He has for us.  And this forgiveness is abundant in loving kindness, to all as the last phrase of this verse states, who call upon Him.

God is always ready to forgive us of the sins we commit. However, we must admit to ourselves that we have sinned, and then we must go to Him and confess what we have done.  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.  If we do not admit to ourselves that we have sinned against God, than we will not be serious in confessing our sins, or we may not even go to Him at all.  And according to John, we must confess the sins we commit.  Our relationship will be damaged if we do not confess a sin we know we have committed and ask Him to forgive us.  And we, as Christians, are forgiven because He is our advocate before the Father. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;” 1 John 2:1.  Forgiveness is ours because of the work of Christ. By keeping His commands, we show our love to Him. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15.  And additionally, He and the Father will abide with us.  “Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” John 14:23. 

Our love for God will be apparent because of the relationship we have with Him.  Do we go to Him only when we need something, or do we strive for continuous fellowship?  Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing;” 1 Thessalonians 5:17.  We are dependent on Him in all things, therefore we should always be ready to hear from Him, as well as speak to Him.  He is always there for us when we call on Him.  Let us always be there for Him when He reaches out to us.   

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Psalm 103:8

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 103:8

“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.” – Psalm 103:8.   

This is a psalm of David where he is praising the Lord for His many mercies.  In this particular psalm, David is encouraging himself by using the technique of speaking to himself.  He starts by telling himself to bless God for all the blessings God has bestowed on him.  “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;” Psalm 108:1-2. He then proceeds to list several of these blessings. “Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” Psalm 103:3-5.

In the next verse, he speaks of how He has compassion on those oppressed.  “The LORD performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed.” Psalm 103:6.  God is on the side of the oppressed, He has their true interests at heart.  The ‘oppressed’ refers to those harmed by unjust judgements, in slavery or wronged by the pride and power of the wicked. 

And then we come to our focus verse.  “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.” Psalm 103:8.  These words were originally spoken by God Himself to Moses stating who He is, after Moses chiseled out two more stone tablets to put the ten commandments on.  “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” Exodus 34:6-7. 

This is a beautiful picture of the God we serve.  In looking at our verse of the day, we see the following.  First, the Lord is compassionate and gracious.  He is a loving God who has shown this compassion to us by providing salvation through the death, burial and resurrection of His only begotten Son.  He knows we are not perfect; however, He did not neglect us and leave us on our own but did what was necessary to provide the means by which our sins can be forgiven.  And He is slow to anger.  David also declared this of God in a prior psalm.  “But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.” Psalm 86:15.  This speaks of one who is not quick to take vengeance but puts up with us patiently. 

I want to encourage us all to spend time looking at who our God truly is.  That He loves us and did all that was necessary to provide our salvation and eventual eternal life with Him.  He will not leave us or forsake us.  He is compassionate and gracious toward us.  Going forward, “He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.  He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:9-12.  He has each one of our bests at heart.  And because of all this, we should remember how much He cares for us, and is always watching over us.  Therefore, as King David declared, we should as well. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.” 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Psalm 118:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 118:1  

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” –  Psalm 118:1 

This is one of the more well-known verses in the psalms.  It is a call for us to think of all the blessings He has provided for us and to acknowledge that He has given them freely and to praise Him in all thankfulness.  When I think back on my life, many wonderful blessings come to mind.  How I grew up in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and remember being able to look out and see Mt. Rainier filling the sky.  How in some of the most difficult times in my childhood, I came out ok.  I knew of God but did not truly know Him, but now I realize that God was there all the time.

There are so many things to be thankful for, I never am able to list them all.  However, the greatest thing I have to be thankful for was when He revealed Himself to me during one of the hardest times  of my life.  I was in the Air Force in Homestead, FL and had put myself in a very difficult situation.  I had no idea what I was going to do.  I finally just cried out to God telling Him I needed proof He actually existed, for I was starting to seriously doubt it.  And at that moment, He made Himself known in a powerful way.  Soon after, He delivered me from these trials and brought me to a good place.  “From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.  The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore, I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.” Psalm 118:5-7.  When I look back, I found these verses became real to me.  He delivered me from the distresses I was going through and I realized that I need to trust in Him and not in men, for many times they had let me down.  Not to say that I do not trust people, but as verse eight says, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man.” Psalm 118:8.  I came to learn that if I trust Him, He will provide what I need, and people I can truly trust.

I know that I am not the only one who has experienced something like this, and I can assure you I have had more than this one.  Each one of us, as children of God, can look back and see times when we find ourselves in difficult situations and had no idea what to do.  As stated above, I can look back and see many times where God brought me through trials, I found myself in.  And I know you all who are reading this can do the same.  Take the time to see all the wonderful things God has done for you when you struggled to know what to do.  And along with this, remember how He sent His only begotten Son to pay the penalty for our sins when there was nothing, we could do to pay it ourselves. 

In my life, and I am sure you can say the same, there is more that I have to thank Him for than I can recall. And I am so thankful that He is always near me, guiding me through all situations as only He can.  And as the writer of this psalm says, I also can testify, “You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You.” Psalm 118:28. And let us always remember our focus verse, which the writer made the first and last verse in this chapter, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting” Psalm 118:29  

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

 

Psalm 32:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 32:1  

“A Psalm of David. A Maskil. How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!” – Psalm 32:1 

This is a psalm of David speaking of how blessed are the people whose sins are forgiven.  This word blessed has the idea of happy.  Therefore, when we replace the word, we see “happy is he whose transgressions are forgiven.”  Happy is the man.  Happy is his state of mind.  This is the condition of a man when his sins are forgiven.  

Now this verse is quoted by Paul in his letter to the Romans.  Here we read “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”  Romans 4:7-8.  The apostle is using this verse in a way that is different than how the Jews understood it in David’s day.  If a man sinned back then, the law required them to present a sin offering to God.  This was a deeply symbolic type of offering where the sacrificial animal was killed and the blood was drained as an offering for sin.  However, David makes no mention of a sin offering.  “I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin.” Psalm 32:5. 

Now, Paul says these works, as he calls the sacrifice here, is not a matter of grace, but of the payment of a debt.  However, Paul adds the following, “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works.” Romans 4:5-6.  David understood this.  His relationship with God made it clear that confessing his sins to God was the means by which God forgave sin.  Acknowledging our sins to God in humility and a contrite heart, not trying to hide it knowing we can never hide anything from Him, is the sacrifice we are to give.   

Unfortunately, we all have sinned.  “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, “ Romans 3:23.  And we understand that there will be times of temptation we must endure.  “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13.  And we also understand there may be times where temptation my overcome us.  “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2.

Therefore, always remember that we live in a fallen world, and unfortunately we may fall into sin.  David did with Bathsheba which is what David is dealing with in Psalm 32.  And so did Paul which he admitted in his letter to the Romans: “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.” Romans 7:19.  However, as David said, instead of trying to hide it, we need to confess it to God, repenting of it and then resting in God’s peace and goodness.  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.  And because of this as our focus verse says, “How blessed (happy) is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered!” Psalm 32:1.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Psalm 34:19

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 34:19 

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.” – Psalm 34:19  

This verse brings out a truth that many of us totally understand, “many are the afflictions of the righteous.” Another way of putting this is, “A lot of bad things happen to God’s people.”  And this is true.  Look at what happened to Jesus.  Look what happened to His disciples?  Throughout history, we see Christians enduring suffering and hardship on account of their firm belief in Christ.  A lot of these troubles happen not just because we believe, but because we live it and encourage others to do the same.  I have heard people say, ‘It does not matter what you believe, as long as you keep it to yourself.’  However, this is not what God has called us to.

Now, this verse is not saying that the afflictions of the righteous are more numerous or severe than others.  What it is saying is because we are righteous in a world that does not lean our way, we will be subject to a lot of suffering and trials.  However, we have a God who will deliver us as only He can.  The idea is not that God does not allow us to go through hard times, but that He does not allow us to be defeated by them.  This is an important distinction.  Paul, as well as all the other apostles, endured much hardship. However, through the mercy of God, they had the strength to bring them through.   

This verse should bring us much comfort, as well as a verse above, to add to the contentment that is written by David in this psalm.  “The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.” Psalm 34:17.  When we are in the midst of trials, the Lord knows and sees it, and is with us through it.  “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8.  Not only does He deliver us, but He goes before us to prepare the way.  This brings up the question, why does He allow us to suffer at all? 

I think there are several reasons why God allows us to suffer.  First, it strengthens us.  “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4.  We are going to suffer for the cause of Christ.  James is saying that suffering helps us to become stronger in the faith, preparing us for what the future will hold.  He will exercise our faith to strengthen it by allowing suffering, so that as persecution and trials become stronger, our faith will also become stronger.  And we are blessed when we suffer.  “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear intimidation, and do not be troubles,” 1 Peter 3:14.  And remember what Jesus told us in the beatitudes.  “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10.  But probably more than any other reason, if someone sees us suffer, and yet remain content knowing that God will deliver us, they will see this and may see the reality of our life and desire to give themselves also to Christ.  What a wonderful witness to see us remain strong in the faith no matter whatever hardship comes our way.

So, remain strong in the midst of trials.  Remember what David said in our focus verse, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19.  We will suffer and go through trials, but we have a God who loves us and will deliver us through every one of them.  Therefore, remain at peace through them all.  For only good can come from any trial we endure.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Psalms 3:3

(Editor’s Note: Christiaan is writing the devotions for today and tomorrow. Hopefully, William will be able to return to writing on Wednesday from the hospital. We’re bringing him his laptop tomorrow, and we should have an update published soon).

Verse of the Day Devotion – Psalms 3:3 (ESV)

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. – Psalms 3:3 (ESV

If you missed last weeks study on Psalm 3:4 please check it out, you’ll learn a lot about the historical and contextual setting for this chapter. In short, David is in hiding from his Absalom (his son who murdered his other son, took the throne, and is hunting David down to murder him). The net is closing around him. As he’s hiding he hears people telling him that no god (neither God or any other deity) will come to rescue him.

Think about it.

David is the King of Israel. He’s been elevated from farm boy to king.. He’s lead the armies of the Lord to fulfill the promise given to Moses. This is the heyday of Israel. It has never been better than it was now and (honestly, probably never will be again until Jesus returns). David has thousands of servants, concubines, and armies so large that by the end of this current situation over twenty thousand people died in a single battle between the armies of israel lead by Absalom and David’s resistance fighters.

But where do we find David?

Alone.

In a cave.

So reviled and with such little authority that at one point he was recognized and an individual who openly cursed him… like old school “a pox upon you and your family” style cursing.

When I think about where David is at this point versus where he was, I think about that line from A Christmas Story when Ralphie has “soap poisoning” and his dad asks him, “What has brought you to this lowly state?” The answer is that we live in a fallen world. It was completely outside of David’s control. It wasn’t punishment for Bathsheba. It wasn’t because God ceased to have David in his favor. It was because there were people doing evil things.

I think that a lot of times we get put in situations completely outside of our control and it’s up to us to decide how we respond to it. In a previous verse of the day I did I looked at the verse about how there’s a season for everything from Ecclesiastes 3:1 (I seem to like the third chapter in books!) Last time we looked at how David cried out to God and God answered him. But today, we look at what he KNEW about God.

God is his shield around David. But Christiaan, you may ask. How is God a shield around David, if God allowed Absalom to murder his brother, pull of a successful military coop-d’etat, and force God’s chosen king into a cave hiding away from the world? The answer is that we live in a fallen world. But David doesn’t lose faith. He doesn’t lose Hope. He knows that God hears the cries of his people. He knows that God is ultimately in control over the situation. He knows that whatever is happening it’s going through God first.

Maybe that medical condition that brought you into the hospital that you thought was the worst thing that could happen, really ended up saving your life. Because they discovered something infinitely worse than anything you could have imagined.

Maybe that job loss that had you eat through your savings, and put you in what seemed to be a hopelessly impossible financial situation leads you to finding your dream job, that may not fully get you out of the financial straits you found yourself in, but you’re in a significantly better place, and you never realized how toxic and draining your other job was.

Who knows, and most of the time we don’t see the positives until they’ve happened to us. We know that as Paul told us in Romans 8:28 that “God causes everything to work together for the Good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (NLT) and David’s words reinforce that.

David doesn’t just testify that God is his shield, but also that God is his glory. This word in a transliterated hebrew is kabodi which means, reputation, honor, splendor, distinction – in short, his identity all the things that make him who he is and special. David knows that regardless of what happens to him and what people say about him that ultimately his identity is in God. And regardless if he’s a brilliant military commander (as they say of him in 2nd Samuel – in fact they say he’s worth ten thousand men in battle) if he’s the king of Israel, or if he’s a beleaguered man in a cave hiding from his murderous son… his identity is given to him by God.

The verse finishes at a crescendo of David’s affirmation of God’s role in his life, that God is “the lifter of my head” or in the NLT it says, “the one who holds my head high.” David doesn’t have to be ashamed of these situations that happened. He doesn’t have to sulk in the darkness afraid to be who God created him to be and the role God called him to walk in. The two translations beside each other paint a beautiful picture of our God who lifts our face from being downcast, and then holds it up.

So, may you come to realize that no matter what happens in your life, how scary it is, or how unexpected it is God is your shield, protecting you in some way. May you search for the good things in the midst of the trauma and focus on them. May you find your identity in Christ and not let that shake your confidence in who you were made to be. And finally, may you not struggle against the God whose lifts your head, and helps you to hold you head high!

Psalms 3:4

(Editor’s Note: Christiaan here still, William is in the hospital still, and your continued prayers for his speedy and complete recovery are appreciated).

Verse of the Day Devotion – Psalms 3:4 (Alter)

“With my voice I cry out to the Lord, and He answers me from His holy mountain. (Selah) – Psalms 3:4 (Alter)

The third psalm holds a unique place in biblical literature. It’s the first psalm with a title, and one of only a few that gives us a setting for the psalm. While we will, more than likely, never be in his exact situation, we can learn a lot from David’s response in his unique situation. The title of the psalm is, A David psalm, when he fled from Absalom his son. Absalom murdered his brother (David’s other son), rallied the armies of Israel against David, so much so that David had to flee the palace with his servants and his personal bodyguard. An emissary from the nation of Gath had a group of six hundred men that accompanied David. Absalom wasn’t content with the throne, he wanted his father, David, dead and to those ends he mobilized the entire army of Israel to hunt David down.

On the run David cries out to God, telling him of the sheer number of enemies he has (in the final battle between David and Absalom twenty thousand soldiers died) and how they taunt him telling him that “God will never rescue him” And David affirms the truth of our verses of the day. In Robert Alter’s translation and commentary, he paints the picture, “The palpable strength of this psalm resides in its sheer simplicity and directness. The speaker, a man beleaguered by bitter foes, is first mocked by them when they tell him no god will rescue him. Ignoring the mockery, he cries out to the Lord for help sure he will be answered. Surrounded by enemies, he can sleep undisturbed.”

We will probably never have our children murder their sibling and then hunt us down to murder us. But there are times in our lives where we will feel overwhelmed with what’s going on in our lives. People will tell us that God can’t help us, or we’ll think that our problem is too small or not important enough for God to help us. Health issues, job issues, family issues, whatever issues pop up, David is testifying that when he cried out to God, God moved.

Kinda like with my But God verse of the day eight months ago, I want to look at how God responds to our cries.

God moves when we cry out to him.
He proved it throughout the old testament.

When the Israelites cried out to God:
He gave them Moses and liberated them.
He raised judges to liberate them.
He turned the tide in battle for them.

Throughout the psalms David continually reminds us that when we cry out, God acts here are just two examples:

In Psalm 61, David cries out to God, again, for help. He tells God that his heart is overwhelmed, this could also be translated to become weak or sickly. His prayer is that God will, “lead me to the rock that is higher than I” and mentions that God is a strong tower and refuge to him.

In Psalm 34, David tells those who are helpless (the Hebrew word Anaw means to be suffering, oppressed, emaciated or tormented) to “take heart… let us exalt his name together [for when] I prayed to the Lord… he freed me from all my fears… in my desperation (same Anaw word) he saved me from all my troubles.” He continues later on in the psalm, “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the broken hearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.”

God is unique to every other deity in all of time and space.
At his core is the fact that God always hears the cries of his people.

Often times however we don’t know how to pray. We don’t know what to ask for. Sometimes we may not even know that we’re oppressed or in need, but as believers we have Holy Spirit living inside us. Paul writes in Romans 8, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness…. the spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words… the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

While Holy Spirit does pray on our behalf, it’s important for us to continue to cry out to God ourselves as and when we’re able. In Luke 18, Jesus tells the Parable of the Persistent Widow, she keeps asking an unjust judge for justice eventually because of her persistence the unjust judge grants her cries for justice. Jesus ends the parable by saying, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.”

So, may you not feel ashamed or concerned in crying out to God. May you be attentive to Holy Spirit’s intercessions, and may you find freedom from your fears, and rescue from your troubles that only God can give.

Psalm 46:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 46:1 

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1 

This verse to me is one of the most encouraging in all the scriptures.  It tells us that God is a place of safety for us in a world that is filled with danger.  The word ‘refuge’ is from a word meaning to ‘flee’ and then ‘to flee to’.  It has the idea of taking shelter: a place one would flee to in a time of danger.  Earlier in the psalms we read the following from David.  “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm  18:2-3.  And as the last part of the verse states. He is a very present help in our times of trials.

And because He is our refuge, we have no reason to fear.  “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea, Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.” Psalm 46:2-3. No matter what may come our way, whatever disaster my come upon us.  He knows everything and is with us at all times.  Therefore, we know that if we are in His presence, we are safe.  As the writer of proverbs puts it, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10. 

This idea is not just in the Old Testament.  Jesus Himself taught this to His disciples.  “On that day, when evening came, He said to them, Let us go over to the other side.  Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.  Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?  And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush, be still. And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.  And He said to them, Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?  They became very much afraid and said to one another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Mark 4:35-41. I believe this was set up as a point of learning, but I will not say this dogmatically.  Here they were with Jesus, the very Son of God.  They had seen Him do many miracles of healing and the casting out of demons.  And now they were in a boat with Him with a powerful storm, they lacked the faith to believe everything was OK.  Jesus was not concerned, for He just continued to sleep peaceably.  But they were afraid and said, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:38b.  Then after Jesus rebuked the wind, He asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

It is important that we truly grasp the words found in Psalm 46:1.  No matter what comes upon us He is there with us and is our refuge.  Today we are seeing so many instances where people fear what is going to happen to them.  As Christians, we must remember what Paul wrote to the Philippians.  “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21.  He had the confidence that God would address any situation that may come up, whether he lives of dies.  Another way to put this is ‘whatever happens, I win’.  During any trial we happen to endure, we can always run to God as our refuge.  He will either protect us here on earth, or He will take us home.  Either way, as our focus verse says, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.