Good morning everyone,
I will try to keep this devotional short today as there is a lot. To begin with, I have started on Psalm 71. In verse 3, the psalmist describes the personal nature of God. Verse 3 says (emphasis has been added), “Be MY strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save ME, for You are MY rock and MY fortress.” What this verse shows us (besides the fact that God truly does save) is that God is a personal God. How many religions can say that the god they worship is personal? This personal relationship between God and man is seen throughout the Psalms. God is mine!! Next, in verse 4, the psalmist entreats God to save him from the hand of the wicked man, the hand of the unrighteous man, and the hand of the cruel man. This made me think of the verse in Ephesians where Paul said God is able “to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV). Mind you, God is more than able to defeat any evil force no matter how big or strong it is. But the psalmist mentioned three men and I was reminded of God’s three-fold promise that He is more than able. In verse 5, the psalmist admits that he hopes in God for “You are my trust from my youth.” How important it is for us to trust in God from our youth. However, you may be saying that you were a rebel in your youth and are unqualified to make such a statement. I beg to differ. Aging is a fact of life. Follow God now and when you are older, you may say (along with the psalmist) “You are my trust from my youth.” Lastly, verse 6 is a call to praise God. One of the reasons I appreciate the Psalms is because one can never praise God enough. There are numerous calls to worship and praise and praise is beautiful. Verse 6 says, “By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You.” The psalmist recognized God’s sustaining power even before he was born! Life is truly a gift! Unfortunately, we as a society either don’t understand this or do not appreciate it. Charles Spurgeon said this, “God is the circle where praise should begin, continue, and endlessly revolve, since in Him we live, and move, and have our being.” Rest assured of your God believer. Blessings from Oregon.
Written by Alex Neuman
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