Category: Devotions

THURSDAY 18^th

Psalm 39

NIV (vv4-6) – ‘Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be.”’

ESV (vv4-6) – ‘O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!’

Let us take the first phrase in verse 4, (NIV)  ‘Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.’ It isn’t until a person dies that we know exactly how long their time has been here on the earth, for some it is but very brief, while for others it can be a good innings, but imagine if you were to ask God this same request of David and he was to show you exactly how long you have on this earth, how would you react? I am sure we would all immediately reorganize our lives, what we do, where we go, and how we spend each moment, making sure we made the best out of whatever time was allocated to us. The point I want to make is this, what difference would it make to us spiritually, with our personal walk with God, knowing that when the final moments comes, we will have to give an account? But of course, we do not know how much time has been allotted us, therefore it would seem to me to be even more important to ensure that we make the most of whatever is allocated to us, especially in connection to our walk with God. The not knowing, makes the matter more serious, as the psalmist says in Psalm 90:12, and we need to make this our prayer, ‘So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.’ Whether our time here is short or lengthy, in comparison to eternity it is but brief, and it is vitally important that we spend it wisely. When we lived in North Wales, we would sometimes go to Birkenhead and there is a short stretch of road with speed restrictions that carries a warning sign saying ‘Life is short, dead is forever’ it is an attempt to slow drivers down. Life is short, but dead is not necessarily forever, for if we put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, although life is short here, death when it comes leads to eternal life which is forever! Remember the words of Jesus, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.’ (Jn 11:25–26) Therefore in numbering our days here, it is vitally important that we number them wisely, and the best way to do that is to ensure we live God’s way, finding his pathway and will, knowing that it makes a difference not only for time but also for eternity.

The psalmist continues to remind us that life is but a breathe, a vapour, here today and gone tomorrow, (vv5-6) the Preacher puts it this way,  ‘there is a time to be born and a time to die’, (Ecclesiastes 3:2) therefore in the words of the Preacher again, ‘Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth . . .’ (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

For some of us our youth has long gone, and therefore we need to be even more sure that ere it is too late that we remain in a close relationship with our Maker through our being united to Christ through new birth, but for our younger readers, as life stretches out before you, plan as if eternity is just around the corner, for none of us knows how many days have been set for us, and remember your Creator in the days of your youth, as you step out into the future, step out with your hand in his hand, don’t leave God out, don’t push the loving Saviour to one side, thinking that you have plenty of time to enjoy yourself, and then to think about eternal matters later, perhaps when you are older, face whatever future you have knowing that you face it safely with the Creator and Saviour leading and guiding you. Don’t place your trust in the transient things of the world, place it in the Lord Jesus Christ, don’t follow the many who are walking on the wide road that leads to destruction, follow the few who are on the road that leads to life everlasting, follow Jesus.

And to us who are older, are we following Jesus as closely as we ought? May we also learn to number our days, and in doing so, make sure that we walk closely by the side of our Saviour.

WEDNESDAY 17^th

Psalm 38

NIV (v18) – ‘I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.’

ESV (v18) – ‘I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.’

They say that confession is good for the soul, but I want to add that true confession is only effective if it is made to the one who God has ordained to be the one who can forgive, the Lord Jesus Christ. And in this psalm before us today David has been greatly troubled as he has considered his sin and it was causing him anguish of heart. He describes how he was feeling, and it is not a very pleasant picture he is painting. To sum up he was in a mess, mentally, emotionally, and physically. It would seem looking at the first two verses that he had been going through a period of deep conviction for he says that the arrows of the LORD had sunk into him, and that the LORD’S hand had come down upon him. When we get to our text, he is ready to yield to the conviction and he pours out his confession, ‘I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.’ In verses 22 he concludes, ‘Make haste to help me, O LORD, my salvation.’

It is wonderful news that there is one who is willing to forgive our iniquity, but although he has provided the means for forgiveness through his sacrifice at Calvary, we have to be willing to come and to confess before him before we can receive the benefits of Calvary. In our text the ESV says ‘I am sorry for my sin’, the NIV says, ‘I am troubled by my sin’. It is a sad fact that many today carry on in their sin and they are never troubled by it, let alone ever sorry for it. We are living in an age when so much of what was readily accepted as being sin is no longer thought that way anymore, and what makes matters worse is that mankind no longer believes in a God who will punish sin, or has provided a means of salvation from sin. The greatest news that is the answer to the greatest need is rejected. It is also a sad fact that there are those who recognise sin and it’s devastating effect upon the human soul, and yet they choose not to come to the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness that is readily available. For several years when we were living in Wales, I befriended a man who was a very staunch Roman Catholic, it did not matter what was going on in the local Catholic Church, he was there. We had a coffee morning and I invited him along, and he came, week after week, I also visited him in his home and shared the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with him, many times, clearly presenting all the facts about the finished work of Christ and that man can only be saved by grace alone and by faith alone in the Lord Jesus, but he could never accept it. As far as I am aware, he never changed his mind, that is between him and God on the day of judgement, but I pray that he will before it is too late.

I have digressed a little, but this is the point I need to make, there is only one mediator between God and man, and it is the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5) May we never ever settle and become comfortable in anything that is displeasing to God, but may our sin ever be brought before us so that it will drive us to the place of confession, to the mercy seat of God, where we will find grace and mercy to help us in time of need, for if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

To close today, is there anything in your heart at this moment, anything in thought or deed that is displeasing to God, if you have felt that the arrow of the Lord has sunk into you, if you feel his hand has come down upon you (v2) put it right today, that God may be honoured and glorified through your life. (As I often say, I challenge myself as well)

TUESDAY 16^th

Psalm 37

NIV (vv5-6) – ‘Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.’

ESV (vv5-6) – ‘Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.’

It was difficult to choose just one verse as the main text from this chapter for it is a chapter that brings much instruction which if followed will bring blessing into our lives. This chapter was given to me during a time when I was going through an extremely difficult time in my employment which was making life very difficult for me, I was faced with something that was both unpleasant and was going to have an affect on our future as a family. I do not need to go into the details other than a situation had arisen where attempts were being made to blacken my character, one Sunday morning a lady (who didn’t know the situation) got up during our worship service and simply said that she wanted to read a portion of Scripture and that she believed it was a word for me and this was the Scripture, Psalm 37. Imagine my surprise and the encouragement it gave me when the first verse was read, ‘Fret not yourself because of evil doers’ then v5 ‘Commit yourself to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.’ And what about verses 12-13 ‘The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the LORD laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.’ And there was so much more in this chapter that spoke into my situation. The result was that the LORD had my back covered, he was in control of the circumstances and I came through in the victory that he had already prepared. Verses 39-40, ‘The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him’.

Let me just highlight some of the instruction and result of heeding it in the first 9 verses,

Instruction: (Ins hereafter) (v1-2) Fret not because of evil doers – Result: (Res: hereafter) They will fade and wither.

Ins: (v3-4) Trust in the LORD, delight yourself in the LORD – Res: He will give you the desires of your heart.

Ins: (v5) Commit your way unto the LORD, trust in him – Res: He will act, He will bring forth your righteousness and your justice.

Ins: (vv7-8) Be still before the LORD, wait patiently for him, fret not yourself, refrain from anger – Res: The evil doers will be cut off, those who heed will inherit the land.

How about going through the remaining verses in this chapter and look yourself for more of these couplets of instruction and result, it is amazing to know that God is in control, he does know the way that we take, he is with us and as we place our trust confidently in him, and walk in obedience to his command, he will bring us through and cause us to stand up tall with our heads held up.

This chapter very clearly shows that there are only two outcomes in life, the way of the LORD which is a way of blessing and of eternal reward and the way of the wicked which leads to destruction. Verses 27-28

The challenge to us all is to ensure that we walk through this world in which we are traveling with integrity, knowing that we do not walk it alone for our Saviour walks it with us. ‘All the way my Saviour leads me: what have I to ask beside? Can I doubt his tender mercy, who through life has been my guide? Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, here by faith in him to dwell! For I know whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.’

MONDAY 15^th

Psalm 36

NIV (v9) – ‘For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.’

ESV (v9) – ‘For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.’

One of the first things that came to my mind as I read this verse was one of the lines of the Christmas carol, ‘Hark! the herald angels sing’ which says, ‘Light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings . . .’ It is a carol which declares the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and the truth surrounding who he is, Immanuel, God with us. In his gospel, John declares in the first chapter ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ (v1) and then continues ‘In him was life, and the life was the light of men, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’ (vv4-5) Returning to our Psalm, David is declaring about the LORD God, that he was the fountain of life, and in his light we see light, John is showing us therefore that when we see Jesus we are seeing God, for John also declares that Jesus is the source of life and that this life is the light of men.

What both David and John are clearly declaring is that all life springs from the eternal God, that is the Triune God, and that when Jesus came into this dark world he came to give both life and light.

On one occasion Jesus said that he was the light of the world, (John) and on another that he was the life (John 14:6), and as such he is the only one sent from God to grant that life as he shines as the light into the hearts of men and women. John says in verse 9 of the first chapter, ‘The true light which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.’ Men and women today are searching for light and for understanding, to bring satisfaction to life, they are searching through so many ways, mysticism, experiences, religious practise, etc. and the fulfilment they are looking for will never be found until they come to the one who is the true light, the Lord Jesus Christ. For as the light he is also the only source for life, life that is abundant and eternal.

We need to stand firm on the declaration of Scripture that ‘there is no other name given under heaven by which man can be saved’ no other name, but the name of Jesus. He alone is the true source of light and life. We need to be pointing people to Jesus.

In the book of Acts, chapter 17, when Paul visited Athens, he had observed all the objects of worship and idols they had erected, and found the one with the inscription ‘To the unknown God’ they had been searching for reality, they had yet to discover the source of the reality they were wanting, the one who was the light and life, and Paul began to instruct them, ‘What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.’ And he shares truth to them, and in verses 28 says, ‘In him we live and move and have our being.’ May we constantly remind ourselves that we are because God has granted us to be, he gave us our physical life and we have become what we are, because he has also granted his light to shine into our hearts and granted us his life which is abundant and eternal.

This verse in Psalm 36 is also another reminder for us of the importance of life, because it comes from God himself, he is the fountain of life, there is no other source, and therefore the only true light that we can receive to help shine the way for us to walk this life can also only come from God. He is our Maker, therefore he knows all about us and therefore he is the most qualified and the only one qualified to show us how to live, and he has revealed this through his word, and through the sending of his only begotten Son. ‘Light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings.’

SUNDAY 14^th

Psalm 35

NIV (v27b) – ‘The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.’

ESV (v27b) – ‘Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!’

This whole Psalm is a lament that David makes as he considers yet again all his enemies that are coming against him, and he seeks God to come to his aid, and at the same time to bring his enemies to shame. He finally comes to verse 27 when he mentions those who are for him, and then makes a statement, ‘Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!’ he then concludes that his tongue would tell of the LORD’S righteousness and of his praise all day long. Sometimes I read a chapter and wonder, ‘what I am going to share from this?’ But then a little phrase gets my attention, and it is the two phrases found together, ‘Great is the LORD’ and ‘who delights in the welfare of his servant’. We will not consider the first phrase in this devotion, but rather the second, ‘who delights in the welfare of his servant’.

This is a reminder for us as who are the children of God by reason of our new birth experience that God is interested in our welfare. This means that God is interested in our well-being, and I want to suggest that we can take this to mean that he is interested in our whole man, body, soul, spirit, and I include our emotional well-being as well. David will later say that the LORD takes pleasure in his people, (Psalm 147:1, 149:4) and we know that the people of God are portrayed as the flock of his pasture, the sheep under his care, and his care towards them was expressed in so many ways. And we have become his children, we can call him our heavenly Father, and as our heavenly Father he cares for each one of us. Jesus illustrated this to us in his sermon on the mount, a section we know so very well and which I point simply to a couple of the verses (see the whole section in Matthew 6:25-34) Verse 26 reminds us that we are more valuable than the birds of the air, if our heavenly Father cares for their welfare, how much more will he care for ours, verse 29-30 reminds us of how God clothes the grass of the fields, how much more will he clothe us, verse 32, our heavenly Father knows that we need these things. What is  the greatest evidence of his care?  We had a very deep and serious need, the need of the soul, the spirit that was dead in trespasses in sin, and yet God cared enough to send his only Son to redeem us. And then when it comes to the area of the mind and our emotional well-being, he brings us peace which passes all understanding, he brings us peace which will guard both our hearts and our minds. ‘And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ Philippians 4:7, ‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.’ Isaiah 26:3

Whatever your circumstances, remember God knows and God cares, your welfare is of the utmost important to him.

SATURDAY 13^th

Psalm 34

NIV (v1) – ‘I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.’

ESV (v1) – ‘I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.’

Over the last two previous devotions I mention the communal worship of the saints, those times when we come together to worship the LORD together. We can call it with another name, congregational worship. I listened to some singing recently from Church conferences around 40 years ago and it was so different to what you often hear in conferences today, back then it really was communal or congregational singing, for the congregation wasn’t drowned out with a worship band playing the music so loud and in such a way that it was difficult for the congregation to join in, I’m getting old! I do enjoy some of the more modern songs, and some of the worship bands, but there is something powerful about good congregational singing.

What I want to add today alongside communal worship is the thought of continual worship. Yes, it is good to come to worship together, but as important as well is that we continually worship, as our text says, ‘His praise shall continually be on my lips.’ Now, of course worship isn’t only just about singing, it is also about coming and bowing before God with humble hearts and adoring him for who he is and for what he has done, it is an acknowledgment from us the redeemed of the Lord that God is good, God is merciful, God is faithful, it is an expression from our hearts of gratitude and praise. We can do it communally but we need also to do it when alone, it should be the desire of our hearts to be worshipping the Lord with all that we are and with all that we have and all of the time. Our lives as we live them should be an act of continual worship.

Later in the Psalm David makes another statement, or an invitation, I will call it a come, watch, or come and see. It is verses 8-14, ‘Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!  Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.’ The fruit of the continual worship of our lives should not only resound to continual glory to God, but it should also impact our daily lives and as a result we will have an ongoing testimony that we will want to share with others, inviting them to come and see that the LORD is good, and thus part of our worship should be our continual testimony of God’s goodness and faithfulness. Notice what the psalmist is declaring, his testimony, come and see or come and taste of the goodness of God, come, take refuge in him, that means that while the storms of life are raging around us we have a safe refuge, and as we seek the LORD we will lack no good thing, for he is constantly caring for us. And as we recognise the ongoing goodness of God what does it lead to? Further expression of praise and thanksgiving. Taking us back to the first verse, ‘I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ Just a couple of verses from the New Testament to close with: ‘And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . . .’ (Ephesians 5:18–21) ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.’ (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)

FRIDAY 12^th

Psalm 33 (2)

NIV (vv10-11) – ‘The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.’

ESV (vv10-11) – ‘The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.’

We continue with the thoughts from yesterday and we see in our verses before us today that the counsel of the LORD stands forever.  I used as my thought for this the Counselling Wisdom of the Lord. When we consider the counsel or decrees of mankind, it is fragile and often times futile, for mankind can plan and scheme and yet at the drop of the hat the plans can fall or fail, in fact the Scripture reminds us that man can plan but if it is not aligned to the plan and purpose of the LORD it will be foiled and thwarted, But in comparison, the Counsel or the decrees of God stands firm forever, nothing can thwart it, and the reason is that man plans out of his finite wisdom as a created being, but God’s counsel, God’s plans are formed out of his infinite wisdom and his might. Mankind plans not knowing the future, but God has planned already knowing he has the future outlined. And thus man can do all he can to thwart the purpose of God but he will never succeed, it would be like a mouse trying to push an elephant, impossible, because man in his wisdom is weak and helpless in comparison to the majestic wisdom of Almighty God. Job after all he went through came to this definite conclusion, ‘I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.’

The final thought from this chapter is the Confident Waiting upon the LORD. David knows that he could confidently wait on the LORD, he knew that because he trusted in the Lord as the Creator and therefore as the upholder of all things that he was in God’s hands, he knew that he could trust upon the wisdom of God’s counsel and that what God had purposed would come to pass, he knew that however long it may seem to take, he could wait confidently on the LORD knowing he would come through for him, and as a result he would lift up his heart, lift up his voice and worship the Lord with the community of the saints.

The application for us from these two thoughts today is that we need to learn (if we already haven’t) to confidently wait upon the Lord, that he may make known to us what is his wise counsel for us in our lives, we need to discern that which is his will, his purpose for us in every way and in all that we do.

Also, as we wait upon the Lord with confidence, we know that this will bring its own reward, ‘Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.’ Isaiah 40:28-31

THURSDAY 11^th

Psalm 33 (1)

NIV (v1) – ‘Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.’

ESV (v1) – ‘Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.’

As I read through this Psalm, there were some thoughts that came to my mind which led me to break it up into four parts with headings as if I were preparing a sermon, so a mini sermon is what todays devotion will be, another mini sermon tomorrow as I continue in this chapter and maybe in the future the mini sermon can become a longer sermon with more meat added to the bones.

I see here the following four thoughts.

1. The Creative Work of God
2. The Communal Worship of the saints
3. The Counselling Wisdom of the Almighty
4. The Confident Waiting upon the LORD

Today we will consider the first two.

In verses 8-9  we read ‘Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.’ In an earlier Psalm, ‘The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.’ The world is the creative work of God, and although creationism is looked upon as being an old fashioned view today, it is as relevant as it has ever been, for we firmly believe that God created, he founded and established all that there is, therefore it belongs to him and he has the right to rule as sovereign over it all. The psalmists often referred to God as the Creator and as the one who rules over all, there was no doubt of this truth as far as they were concerned, we see it in Psalm 8: 3-8,19:1-6, 74:13-17,  95:3-5, 102:25, 104. For those of us who recognise the creative power of God it leads to the communal worship of the saints (‘Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.’ vv1-5) as we acknowledge who God is, what he has done, not only in the realm of the original creation but in his recreative work in all who have come by faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, thus as new creations we lift our voices and sing, we sing as in the words of a hymn, ‘My heart and voice I raise, to sing Messiah’s praise; Messiah’s praise let all repeat; the universal Lord, by whose almighty word creation rose in form complete.’

Just as creations sings out in praise, praise is also an essential part of the life of those who have been recreated, and again the psalmists record the necessity of praise from the lips of those who have come to know the Creator as Saviour. For example: ‘Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth;  sing praises with a psalm!’ Psalm 47:6-7. And Psalm 95:2-7 that also speaks of him as Creator, ‘Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.’ We could mention so many more psalms, but I close today with these words from a song,  ‘Let me sing for the glory of heaven, like a sunbeam has swept o’er my heart, I will praise thee for sins all forgiven, for thy love which shall never depart. A song of a sinner forgiven, and a song that is music to thee; a song of a pilgrim to heaven, yes, a song from a sinner like me.’

We may not be able to have the communal worship of the saints at present, it will return, but praise God there is going to be an even more wonderful day coming when we shall all be found around his throne singing a new song, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.’

WEDNESDAY 10^th

Psalm 32

NIV (v11) – ‘Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!’

ESV (v11) – ‘Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!’

An opportunity to remember one of the hymns we used to sing a lot, or at least we did back in Hereford as I was growing up, ‘Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, all ye that are upright in heart: and ye that have made him your choice, bid sadness and sorrow depart. Rejoice! Rejoice! Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, rejoice! Rejoice! Be glad in the Lord and rejoice.’ Another hymn based upon Scripture and within this psalm, David is rejoicing that his sin has been forgiven, (v1) rejoicing in that he was being led and instructed by the LORD (v8) and is celebrating the steadfast love of the LORD. (v10) He realises that despite whatever life may throw at him he is blessed because he is under the watchful eye and care of the LORD God, therefore he is able to rejoice.

David had learned what it was to be satisfied in the LORD, to use the words of another hymn, ‘Whatever my lot, you have taught me to know, it is well, it is well with my soul,’ and in that knowledge he could rejoice. Paul puts it in another way in Philippians 4:11-12, ‘Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.’

We are all faced with our own peculiar set of circumstances, sometimes we act that it is only us that is faced with this issue or that issue, forgetting that others have there own problems, difficulties etc. but the wonder of being a believer, a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ is that we too can find ourselves in a place where we can learn to be content, knowing that whatever our lot, it is well with our soul, therefore like David we can say, ‘Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!’

I turned to the internet to find this well-known prayer may we choose to make it ours as we navigate through this world.

God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it, trusting that you will make all things right, if I surrender to your will, so that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with you forever in the next.

As we live this way we will join with David and rejoice and along with the instruction from Paul we will  ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ Philippians 4:4-7.

TUESDAY 9^th

Psalm 31

NIV (v15) – ‘My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.’

ESV (v15) – ‘My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!’

During all of David’s adversary, hardship, etc, he makes this short statement in verse 15 ‘My times are in your hands . . .’ it was a recognition that God was in control and that in regard to his life God knew the end from the beginning, he acknowledged that he wasn’t in this world by chance, but that God had purposed and planned all things. In a later Psalm David says, ‘For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.’ (139:13-16) In Job 14:1-5 we read ‘Man who is born of a woman  is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not. And do you open your eyes on such a one and bring me into judgment with you? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one. Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass . . .’

These few verses should be a reminder to us that life is ours because God has given it to us, and he has also determined our number of days, he knew before we were born the moment of our birth, he knew the span for which our life would last, and he knows the day in which he has already determined that we shall die. It should remind us that life is special, and therefore we should make the most out of the time that God has ordained for us, and we have two choices, either to live for self, or to live for the glory of God. Living for self may seem to bring pleasure and a sense of excitement and fulfilment, but in the end it will all be temporary, here today and gone tomorrow, but choosing to live for God will bring satisfaction both in this life and also for eternity.

But there is also a clear ethical implication in our realising that our time is in God’s hand especially regarding abortion, euthanasia, and suicide. We are reminded in Job again that it is the Lord who gives and the Lord who takes away, they are words we are very familiar with in regard to the fact that Job acknowledges that it was God who had given him all that he had, his family, home, possessions and the Lord had the right to also take them away, but the same verse has always been applied to life as well, God gives it and God takes it away, therefore when a life has been given in the womb, man has no authority to take it away, thus abortion is clearly a violation of the command of God and is murder, and so also when we come to end of life, it is God who brings life to an end and so to end it voluntarily either through euthanasia or suicide again is a violation against God and his purpose.

It doesn’t mean that we should be insensitive in any way to any that have violated the law of God and the Biblical principle of the sanctity of life, we must act compassionately realising that behind all that goes on is an enemy, who seeks to destroy life, and to frustrate all that God has purposed, we are living in a fallen world, men and women are fallen, they have no time for God and the role of God in the granting of life, and even when a believer falls into especially the realm of suicidal thoughts and even attempts, it is the enemy seeking to destroy and we need to pray fervently against the activity of Satan in this realm and pray earnestly for any who are struggling in this area, for it is a real battle that goes on in this world in which we are living.

Let us remind ourselves that although the enemy seeks to kill and to destroy, Jesus said I have come that you may have life, life in all its fulness. That means we can live the best for God today as we chose to make our lives matter, and we do this by surrendering to his will, and the purpose he has ordained for us to fulfil, this will lead to eternal reward.