Bible League: Living His Word Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth. 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. We live in a world full of sin and evil. We live in a world full of wicked people. There are threats and dangers everywhere and all the time. There are threats and dangers to ourselves and to those we love. Even when things seem safe and secure the possibility of an attack is ever present. Whether we like it or not, we must live and walk amidst the wicked of the world. Given the threats and dangers, we need protection. We need the kind of protection only the Lord God can give. We need the Lord God to deliver us from the hand of the wicked. We need Him to walk with us and our loved ones through life and keep us from falling in to the snares of the wicked. Indeed, "Let the wicked fall into their own nets," while we "escape safely" (Psalm 141:10). There is a reason why we can expect the Lord God to walk with us and help us. The reason is that we trust Him. Like the psalmist, who writes from the perspective of old age, some of us have trusted the Lord God from youth. However long it's been, the Lord God has provided us with protection thus far and there's no good reason to believe that He will stop now. We can count on Him. The Lord God even saw to our safety from birth. Even before we were able to trust Him He was taking care of us. Although we may have had to go through some difficult times, although there may have been some enemy attacks, the Lord God has upheld us and delivered us. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19). When we think of all the threats and dangers in life that could have destroyed us or our loved ones, when we think of all the times disaster could have taken us out but didn't, we turn to the Lord God with gratitude. And our praise shall be continually of Him. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingZechariah 4, 5, 6 Zechariah 4 -- The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees Foreshow Success of Zerubbabel's Foundation NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Zechariah 5 -- The Flying Scroll; The Woman in a Basket NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Zechariah 6 -- The Vision of the Four Chariots; The Symbolic Crowns of Joshua NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Revelation 18 Revelation 18 -- Babylon Is Fallen; Lament over Her NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.Insight God may have seemed slow to these believers as they faced persecution every day and longed to be delivered. But God is not slow; he just is not on our timetable. Jesus is waiting so that more sinners will repent and turn to him. Challenge We must not sit and wait for Christ to return, but we should live with the realization that time is short and that we have important work to do. Be ready to meet Christ any time, even today; yet plan your course of service as though he may not return for many years. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Isaiah 58:11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually."The Lord shall guide thee." Not an angel, but Jehovah shall guide thee. He said he would not go through the wilderness before his people, an angel should go before them to lead them in the way; but Moses said, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." Christian, God has not left you in your earthly pilgrimage to an angel's guidance: he himself leads the van. You may not see the cloudy, fiery pillar, but Jehovah will never forsake you. Notice the word shall--"The Lord shall guide thee." How certain this makes it! How sure it is that God will not forsake us! His precious "shalls" and "wills" are better than men's oaths. "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Then observe the adverb continually. We are not merely to be guided sometimes, but we are to have a perpetual monitor; not occasionally to be left to our own understanding, and so to wander, but we are continually to hear the guiding voice of the Great Shepherd; and if we follow close at his heels, we shall not err, but be led by a right way to a city to dwell in. If you have to change your position in life; if you have to emigrate to distant shores; if it should happen that you are cast into poverty, or uplifted suddenly into a more responsible position than the one you now occupy; if you are thrown among strangers, or cast among foes, yet tremble not, for "the Lord shall guide thee continually." There are no dilemmas out of which you shall not be delivered if you live near to God, and your heart be kept warm with holy love. He goes not amiss who goes in the company of God. Like Enoch, walk with God, and you cannot mistake your road. You have infallible wisdom to direct you, immutable love to comfort you, and eternal power to defend you. "Jehovah"--mark the word--"Jehovah shall guide thee continually." Daily Light on the Daily Path Ephesians 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,2 Corinthians 5:19,21 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. • He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Colossians 1:20-22 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. • And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, • yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach-- Colossians 2:14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Ephesians 2:15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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