{For those who receive this via Feedblitz email, I believe today is the last day. I will continue to post the devotions on the church website, found here, or on this website. If you are used to getting something in the email form, why not try this. Copy the website address and paste it into the subject line of an email. That way, when you click on it, it will automatically direct you to one of the sites. Thank you for taking the time out to pray, read the scriptures, and get involved with God. Let me know if you have any questions. God's peace.}
1I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
3O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
4Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
5For his anger is but for a moment;
his favour is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
6As for me, I said in my prosperity,
‘I shall never be moved.’
7By your favour, O Lord,
you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
8To you, O Lord, I cried,
and to the Lord I made supplication:
9‘What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
O Lord, be my helper!’
11You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
12so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.
For those of you who check this regularly, you may have noticed that I have not posted in a while. I apologize for that. I was talking with Jon Jones and he was saying that if the clergy expect the laity to be involved in scripture everyday, then we must model it. He speaks in a helpful way, much like what I think is meant when someone says, "Speak honesty in love." I think what has been holding me back is the desire to say something important each time. I thought to myself, "What if scripture doesn't speak to me today?"
How silly is that fear to think that God does not have something to say. It will not always be something great and marvelous that solves all our problems, but it will be God's faithful message passed down through people who love God. Then I read verse six of this Psalm: "As for me, I said in my prosperity, 'I shall never be moved.'" But the psalmist goes on, "But [God] hid [God's] face; I was dismayed."
That is honesty. We all feel that God hides his face, that we will be left alone, or that maybe this followers of Christ thing won't pan out. Yet even in the midst of this psalm we read "You turned my mourning into dancing...and clothed me with joy." Perspective always helps in any situation when we find ourselves down and out. Think of the times when you feel that you were "brought out of Sheol." What difference has God made before? What difference will trusting in God now make?
Pray Psalm 30.
