From: August 21, 2024
“I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25 ESV).
Like the psalmist David, I can make the same observation. For I have never seen the righteous forsaken. Whether David meant this as a promise or a general rule, I’m not sure. For there might be the instance where a righteous man falls into poverty and his children suffer along with him. However David said that even as an old man, he had never seen the righteous forsaken in his entire life.
We’ve had some really lean years along the way as we planted Eastgate Church and labored in the Lord to see it grow. I was in my early 30s and my children in single digits when we started. There were times that we couldn’t pay the mortgage on our home, nor put gas in the car. On several occasions I drove the old Suburu to seminary with the gas gauge on “E.” But never ran out of gas along the way. Sometimes our cupboard was empty, but our stomachs never were. Because someone would show up at our door with groceries, or stick a “twenty” under the windshield wiper of the car. My wife and I often felt anxious, but if you ask our grown children about it today, they always thought we were rich.
For the Lord did not forsake us and our children were never hungry. The lean times taught us to trust the Lord as Provider above all others. Those times taught us to be thankful and rely on God in all things.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we have seen Your faithfulness to us. For You have promised never to leave nor forsake us. And You have kept that promise. Thank You. Now take away any anxiety we may have about provision or future concerns and replace it with Your peace and contentment. We put our trust in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: August 21, 2023
“I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” (Job 1:21 NLT).
Job worshiped the Lord both in happiness and in the midst of suffering. He recognized that all good comes from the Lord. When he lost all that he had, he did not lose his faith. In this, his faith was tested and found genuine. How we face good and bad times reveals the true nature of our faith.
How is this season of life affecting your faith? Are you learning to praise the Lord in all times? For whether the Lord gives or takes away, the Lord is always good. Even His afflictions are blessings in disguise when seen through the eyes of faith. Let us learn to join the prophet Jeremiah in saying, “The Lord is my portion” (Lam. 3:24). So that having the Lord, we have all things and are able to praise Him at all times.
PRAYER: Father, we praise Your holy name today. For You alone are good. Even your afflictions are blessings in disguise. We trust You in all things. We receive this day from Your hand knowing that every detail must pass through Your fingers before it touches us. We love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: August 21, 2022
TAKE MY HAND, PRECIOUS LORD, LEAD ME ON
David trusted the Lord to guide and direct him. He had no doubt that the God of the universe had interest in the details of his life. He had learned that God not only delighted in directing him, but the Lord was also always present to lift him up should he stumble. For the Lord held him by the hand.
David’s intimate relationship with the Lord can be ours through Jesus Christ. Reading this psalm today, I am reminded of my mother’s voice singing that old spiritual written by T.A. Dorsey, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.”
🎶 “Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m lone
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home”🎶
PRAYER: Dear Father, we are amazed that You are interested in the details of our lives. Yet Your word says that You delight in them. How wonderful! How like a father with his little children. We lift our hands and hearts to You this day. Lead, guide and direct us. Empower us to follow You in all things. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: August 21, 2017
Like the psalmist, I can make the same observation. We’ve had some really lean years along the way as we planted WCC and labored in the Lord to see it grow. I was in my early 30s and my children in single digits when we started. There were times that we couldn’t pay the mortgage on the house, nor put gas in the car. On several occasions I drove the old Suburu to seminary with the gas gauge on “E.” But never ran out of gas along the way. Sometimes our cupboard was empty, but our stomachs never were. Because someone would show up at our door with groceries, or stick a “twenty” under the windshield wiper of the car. My wife and I often felt overwhelmed, but if you ask our grown children about it today, they always thought we were rich. For the Lord did not forsake us and our children were never hungry. The lean times taught us to trust the Lord as Provider above all others. Those times taught us to be thankful and rely on God.
From: August 21, 2016
Paul called on the Corinthians to pursue and exercise spiritual gifts that would edify the other members of the church. Apparently, many were striving for gifts that only edified the individual who exercised them. Specifically, Paul named speaking in tongues without an interpretation as an example of a wrong use of spiritual gifting, because it did not build up the hearer. A timeless principle may be understood in this–– that spiritual gifts are to be used to build up the body of Christ, not for self-edification.
From: August 21, 2015
Satan, whose name means “Accuser,” appears prominently in the book of Job. When God asked him from where he had come, Satan answered, “From going to and fro on the earth.” This response described his wandering existence since being cast down from heaven. So filled with rage and restlessness against God, he continually circles the earth like a lion looking for prey, desiring to destroy those whom God loves. This is why the apostle Peter wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
From: August 21, 2014
Job worshiped the Lord both in happiness and in the midst of suffering. He recognized that all good comes from the Lord. When he lost all that he had, he did not lose his faith. In this, his faith was tested and found genuine. How we face good and bad times reveals the true nature of our faith. How is this season of life affecting your faith?