Dawn 2 Dusk Carried When You Can’t StandSome days it feels like life has knocked the wind out of you. Psalm 145:14 tells us that the Lord notices those who have fallen and those who are bent low under the weight of life. He doesn’t just watch from a distance; He acts. He upholds. He lifts. This verse is a tender window into God’s heart for the broken, the weary, and the ashamed—reminding us that our weakness is not the end of the story when our God is near. When You Hit the Ground Falling is not just about failure; sometimes it’s about being blindsided. A diagnosis, a betrayal, a sudden loss—you find yourself on the ground before you even know what hit you. Psalm 145:14 says, “The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down”. Notice it doesn’t say, “some who fall,” but “all who fall.” If you’re down today, you are not the exception to His compassion. The God who formed you refuses to walk past you lying there. Scripture reminds us that “a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again” (Proverbs 24:16). Righteous people fall—not once, but repeatedly—and yet, by God’s sustaining hand, they rise. Think of Peter weeping bitterly after denying Jesus, only to be restored by the risen Lord by the Sea of Galilee. Your fall is not final when the One who upholds all who fall is writing your story. In Christ, every hard landing can become a new starting line. The Beauty of Being Bowed Down There is a difference between being crushed and being humbled, but God meets us in both. Being “bowed down” can mean you’re weighed with sorrow, anxiety, or regret. Yet that low place can also become holy ground when you turn toward Him instead of away. The Lord “lifts up all who are bowed down” (Psalm 145:14). He is not waiting for you to straighten yourself out; He comes down to where you are and raises you in His timing. Peter echoes this posture: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you. Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6–7). To humble yourself is to admit, “I can’t carry this—You must.” Bowing low before God is not humiliation; it is liberation. When you pour out your fears, sins, and burdens before Him, you are placing yourself right where His mighty hand goes to work—underneath you, holding you up. Living Lifted If God upholds and lifts, then faith means learning to be carried. That starts with coming to Him honestly: confessing where you’ve fallen, naming where you feel crushed, and asking Him to do what you cannot. Waiting on the Lord is not passive; it is an active, stubborn trust that He will renew your strength in His way and His time (Isaiah 40:29–31). As you lean into His promises, you will find that His grip on you is stronger than your grip on Him. And being lifted by God changes how you see others. You start to notice the people around you who are on the ground or bowed low—and you become the hands and feet of the One who lifts. The God who “is able to keep you from stumbling” (Jude 24) also sends you to steady the stumbling. Today, receive His upholding grace—and then look for someone you can help up, speak hope to, or pray over in His name. Lord, thank You for upholding me when I fall and lifting me when I am bowed down. Help me today to trust Your hand under me—and to reach out in Your love to someone who needs lifting. Morning with A.W. Tozer Responding to the Wake-Up CallThere is also spiritual sleep. Notice Ephesians 5:14: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead." This verse is often spoken to sinners, but it was not written to sinners. Ephesians was never written to sinners. It is not a message to sinners at all, but a message to one of the best churches in the New Testament. Yet the writer says, "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Some of the Ephesians were in a somnolent condition; that is, they were morally good but unenlightened. They were religious but unanointed. It is perfectly possible for a good, faithful, loyal church member to be spiritually asleep--being in a spiritual state that parallels natural sleep. When your husband, your wife, your child, your relative, your friend or you go to sleep tonight, the fact that you are unconscious and out of the running for a while is not bothering you. You know that normally you will wake up again. You are not dead, but you are cut off from your environment, all but that which is reflex--breathing and a few other things. Likewise it is possible to be a Christian, to be in the church and yet be asleep spiritually. Then you have to be wakened suddenly. You will probably be ashamed of yourself, angry with yourself, frustrated and disconcerted and say, "What's the matter with me? All this time I was almost awake, but not quite." Music For the Soul The Disciple as His LordThe Lord will perfect, that which concerneth me. - Psalm 138:8 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. - Matthew 10:25. The disciple’s schooling is not ended until he has learned all that the master can teach; and the duty of the servant is not performed until he has done all that the lord commands. There is no adequate end to the experiences of the imperfect Christian life on earth, except that of being wholly assimilated to the character of Jesus Christ. So much accomplished, and so much unaccomplished - the contradiction between the two halves cannot continue for ever. The likeness of Jesus Christ, which is imperfectly realized in a man here, has in it " the promise and the potency " of a perfect conformity hereafter. Michael Angelo left several of his works with a part finished and polished to the last point of statuesque perfection, and the rest rough marble, with the marks of a tool upon it here and there. The face or the form was half-extricated from, and half still embedded in, the rude and formless block. You can see in Baalbec a pillar partially rounded and hewn out of the rock, and the rest of it still undelivered from its environment. So the Christian life here, in its incompleteness, prophesies of that which is to come. For if Christ is the Worker, then His work must correspond to His own perfection. If He is our Master, then He will not cease His teaching until we have learned all His "treasures of wisdom and knowledge." If He is our Lord, then we shall be perfectly like Himself. Never shall it be said of this man that "he began to build, and was not able to finish." " The Lord will perfect that which concerneth thee." "It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master." Is it not enough for the heart, enough to know for the mind, amid all the dimness and the darkness of that future? We know not what lies beyond the pass: the fair lands on the other side the mountains are all unseen; but, as good old Richard Baxter says in his hymn - "It is enough that Christ knows all, And I shall be like Him." If that likeness is to be completed hereafter, it must be begun here. Whatever speculations men may indulge in about the effect of passing beyond the vale, there is nothing either in what we know of the phenomenon of death, nor in what Scripture plainly teaches, to warrant the belief that the accident of dying shall revolutionise a man’s attitude to Jesus Christ. And it is a desperate risk to run, that we should trust to begin beyond the grave a life dead against the life that was lived here. We do know that, if imperfectly, we try to follow Christ on earth, there we shall follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. We do know that if here we enter ourselves in Christ’s school, there we shall get our remove to a higher form. We do know that if here the likeness begins, there it shall be perfected. As some poor bit of glass, smitten by a sunbeam, blazes with the light which it reflects, so, when we behold His countenance "as the sun shineth in his strength," we, too, " shall shine like the sun in the Heavenly Father’s Kingdom." So the question comes to be, "Am I Christ’s scholar? Have I begun to be like Him? " Then I have the beginnings of peace and of heart-satisfaction. To be like Christ is enough for a man; nothing less is. Spurgeon: Morning and Evening Jeremiah 51:51 Strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the Lord's house. In this account the faces of the Lord's people were covered with shame, for it was a terrible thing that men should intrude into the Holy Place reserved for the priests alone. Everywhere about us we see like cause for sorrow. How many ungodly men are now educating with the view of entering into the ministry! What a crying sin is that solemn lie by which our whole population is nominally comprehended in a National Church! How fearful it is that ordinances should be pressed upon the unconverted, and that among the more enlightened churches of our land there should be such laxity of discipline. If the thousands who will read this portion shall all take this matter before the Lord Jesus this day, he will interfere and avert the evil which else will come upon his Church. To adulterate the Church is to pollute a well, to pour water upon fire, to sow a fertile field with stones. May we all have grace to maintain in our own proper way the purity of the Church, as being an assembly of believers, and not a nation, an unsaved community of unconverted men. Our zeal must, however, begin at home. Let us examine ourselves as to our right to eat at the Lord's table. Let us see to it that we have on our wedding garment, lest we ourselves be intruders in the Lord's sanctuaries. Many are called, but few are chosen; the way is narrow, and the gate is strait. O for grace to come to Jesus aright, with the faith of God's elect. He who smote Uzzah for touching the ark is very jealous of his two ordinances; as a true believer I may approach them freely, as an alien I must not touch them lest I die. Heart searching is the duty of all who are baptized or come to the Lord's table. "Search me, O God, and know my way, try me and know my heart." Spurgeon: Faith’s Checkbook Seekers, FindersWe need our God; He is to be had for the seeking, and He will not deny Himself to any one of us if we personally seek His face. It is not if thou deserve Him, or purchase His favor, but merely if thou "seek" Him. Those who already know the LORD must go on seeking His face by prayer, by diligent service, and by holy gratitude: to such He will not refuse His favor and fellowship. Those who, as yet, have not known Him to their souls’ rest should at once commence seeking and never cease till they find Him as their Savior, their Friend, their Father, and their God. What strong assurance this promise gives to the seeker! "He that seeketh findeth." You, yes you, if you seek your God shall find Him. When you find Him you have found life, pardon, sanctification, preservation, and glory. Will you not seek, and seek on, since you shall not seek in vain’ Dear friend, seek the LORD at once. Here is the place, and now is the time. Bend that stiff knee; yes, bend that stiffer neck, and cry out for God, for the living God. In the name of Jesus, seek cleansing and justification. You shall not be refused. Here is David’s testimony to his son Solomon, and it is the writer’s personal witness to the reader. Believe it and act upon it, for Christ’s sake. The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer The Lord Is Nigh unto All Them That Call upon HimREAL prayer is calling upon God. He is our Father: we are His children. We have nothing; He has all things to bestow, and is willing to give them. From a sense of need, we call on the Lord for a supply; from a sense of weakness, we call on Him for strength; from a sense of guilt, we call on Him for pardon. Being diseased, we cry for health; being troubled, for comfort and peace; being in distress, for relief and deliverance. We go out of self to Jesus, accepting His invitation, to plead His promise, and find Him faithful. Our God is always near the praying soul, not merely as the omnipresent Jehovah, but as our faithful Friend. He is near us, lovingly to listen to what we have to lay before Him; mercifully to relieve our miseries, be they what they may; graciously to help in every difficulty or danger. Beloved, our God is near us. He is attentive to us this morning; let us lay all our concerns before Him: He loves to listen to the often-told tale; He has patience with us, blessings for us, and will do us good. O Lord, each day renew my strength, And let me see Thy face at length, With all Thy people yonder; With them in heaven Thy love declare, And sing Thy praise for ever there, With gratitude and wonder. Bible League: Living His Word Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.— Psalm 9:10 NLT I know the name of the Lord. I know that His name is "I AM" (Exodus 3:14). He's not a figment of someone's imagination. He's not "I AM" in name only. He's the one true God, the one true Creator of heaven and earth. Although I'm a mere mortal, I know His name, know who He is, and know what He is like. I know these things because I AM has made Himself known. He has revealed Himself to me and to anyone like me who pays attention. Since I know what He has revealed about himself, I know His reputation. His reputation is that He can be trusted without limit or qualification. It's not like He comes through sometimes and in some situations. He comes through all the time and in every situation. He's not fickle. He's not quirky. He is reliable and true. It is wise to put your trust in the God whose name is I AM. In fact, I know that the Lord likes it when people put their trust in Him. He likes it when people seek Him and even mount a search for Him. He likes it so much that He rewards them for it. It says so in His Word. In the book of Hebrews it says, "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). If you seek the Lord, then, you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). If you're sincere about your searching, He won't try and evade you or hide from you. He won't ditch you or abandon you. Indeed, He will never abandon those who search for Him (Psalm 37:28). If you've never sought the Lord before, then let today be your day. Let today be the day you find out how trustworthy He can be. Daily Light on the Daily Path Deuteronomy 3:24 'O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours?Psalm 89:6,8 For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD, • O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. Psalm 86:8 There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours. 2 Samuel 7:21,22 "For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your servant know. • "For this reason You are great, O Lord GOD; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 1 Corinthians 2:9,10 but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM." • For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. Deuteronomy 29:29 "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law. 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. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents' sins?”“It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” Insight A common belief in Jewish culture was that calamity or suffering was the result of some great sin. But Christ used this man's suffering to teach about faith and to glorify God. We live in a fallen world where good behavior is not always rewarded and bad behavior not always punished. Therefore, innocent people sometimes suffer. If God took suffering away whenever we asked, we would follow him for comfort and convenience, not out of love and devotion. Regardless of the reasons for our suffering, Jesus has the power to help us deal with it. Challenge When you suffer from a disease, tragedy, or disability, try not to ask, “Why did this happen to me?” or “What did I do wrong?” Instead, ask God to give you strength for the trial and a clearer perspective on what is happening. Devotional Hours Within the Bible The ResurrectionWe think of death ordinarily as the end of a man’s life. He can do no more work in this world. Only his influence remains. But it was not the end of the life of Jesus Christ. He came again from the grave after a brief rest and took up once more His work of redemption. The women watched beside the grave after the burial of the body there, until they were compelled to hasten into the city before the gates would be shut upon them. Meanwhile they were in deep grief. The Sabbath was a sad and dark day for them. They were eager to get back to the grave to honor their Lord’s dead body. So at the very dawn, after the Sabbath, as soon as the gates would be opened, they left their home and hastened away to His grave, carrying spices and ointments to anoint His dead body. No one saw the resurrection. We are told something, however, of what took place. “There was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.” The rulers thought they had the sepulcher well-secured. The stone had been sealed with Pilate’s seal, so that to meddle with it would be a high crime. Besides, they had procured a guard of Roman soldiers to watch by the grave. They seem to have expected thus to keep Jesus from rising. When they asked for the guard, they gave this as the reason, “He said: After three days I will rise again” (27:63). They pretended to suspect that the disciples would try to carry away the body by night, to give the impression that their Master has risen. But we see how useless were all their precautions. There was no power in the universe that could keep the body of Jesus in that rock-prison. The effect of the resurrection and its attendant circumstances upon the Roman soldiers who kept watch, was startling. “There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.” The soldiers were hardened to all sorts of danger. They never recoiled in the presence of any enemy. But when an angel of God stood before them, with shining face and shining garments they were in great terror. But the angel who caused such dread in the Roman soldiers, spoke with all gentleness to the women who stood before the grave in great sorrow. “The angel said to the women: Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” This was the first announcement of the Resurrection. It was made by an angel to the Lord’s women friends. They had ample proofs of the fact thereafter. No event in all history is more incontestably sure, than that Jesus arose from the dead. Nor can the importance of the fact be overestimated. Everything depends upon Christ’s Resurrection. All the hopes of redemption waited outside that sealed sepulcher. Jesus had said that He would rise; His Messiahship therefore depended from confirmation on His rising. He had made promises to His disciples that He would come again from death and live forever. Indeed, His kingdom depended altogether upon His rising. If He had remained under the power of death, no soul that trusted in Him could have been saved. For a Savior vanquished and held as a prisoner could not be deliverer of others. A Savior locked in a grave could not appear before God to intercede for men, could not walk with His people in their trials and sorrows, could not lead the dying safely through the valley which He had not Himself been able to pass through victoriously, could not bring believers from death’s prison from which He had not Himself been able to come. These are hints of what depended upon Christ’s rising from the dead. Thus we see something of the tremendous importance of the fact which was announced by the angel to the women that early morning. “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said!” We have a living Christ, therefore, for our Savior. He was victorious over all enemies then, over death, the last enemy. Therefore, He is able to deliver us from all our enemies and from death’s power at the last. He stands before God for us, and also walks with us on the earth in all our experiences, a living Friend, to love, to help, to comfort, to deliver, to keep, all who have committed themselves to Him in trusting faith. The angel sent the women on an errand the disciples to bear to them the glorious news. “Go quickly, and tell His disciples.” They obeyed promptly and with joy. “They departed quickly.” On their way Jesus Himself appeared to them. “Jesus met them, saying, Greetings!” Notice that it was as they were hastening in the path of obedience, that they met their Lord. It is always and only in the way of duty that we ever meet Christ, and find blessing and joy. Had the women loitered by the grave instead of hastening away as they were bidden, Jesus would not have appeared to them. It is only in the way of obedience, in the service of love, that Jesus meets us. There are Christian mourners who never go away from the grave where they have buried their loved ones. They hear the words of hope which the gospel brings but sit still in their grief, and no comfort reaches their sad hearts. Jesus does not meet them. If they would rise and hasten on errands of love to the living, the Divine comfort would come to them. They would meet Jesus Himself in the way, and receive His Greetings!” Grief is often selfish. It forgets the living in its sorrow for the dead. To such mourners, true comfort never comes. Rise up and go on errands of service and Jesus will meet you. The women worshiped their Master, rejoicing that they had Him back again from the grave. He then Himself sent them on an errand to the disciples. “Go tell My brethren to go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me.” Whenever Jesus makes an appointment with His friends, He will keep it, He will be present, and will have blessings to bestow upon those who meet Him there. Suppose that some of our Lord’s disciples had stayed away from the appointed meeting in Galilee, not quite believing his promise, or having other things to do instead what would they have missed? Or they might have said, “It is a long distance to the place”; or, “The mountain is steep, and I do not like to climb it”; or, “I fear it will rain or be stormy”; or, “Perhaps He will not be there at all I cannot understand how He can indeed be risen.” For any of these reasons, or for any other reason some might have been absent that wonderful day. But they would then have missed the glorious sight of the risen Jesus, and would not have received His commission and promise. To the end of their lives they would have regretted that they had not kept their Lord’s appointment that day. Jesus makes appointments with us to meet us at times of prayer in church services, at the Holy Communion, at some holy appointed place. Sometimes we do not think these appointments very important, and are easily influenced to omit them. We never can know what we lose by these failures or neglects. Jesus always comes where He asks us to meet Him, and gives blessings there to those who have been faithful in gathering to wait for Him. We do not know what we may miss by staying away from any appointment with our Master. The risen Lord’s promise to His disciples when He sent them forth is one of great comfort. “Lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world!” If Jesus had given His commission without adding His promise, His disciples might well have shrunk from going forth to the work to which He assigned them. But having His promise, they could not hesitate. This assurance was not for the first disciples only; He says to us also, “I am with you always!” In what sense is Christ with us always? It is not merely as our departed human friends are with us in the sweet memories of their lives. It is a real and personal presence. He is present with us as He was with Mary and Martha when He came to them that day after their brother had died. He is present with each one of us, not only on the bright days but on the dark days. Let us believe in the actual presence of Christ with us, and then let us act as if we believe that He is with us. This is he secret of Christian power and Christian peace! Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 109, 110, 111 Psalm 109 -- God of my praise, don't remain silent NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 110 -- The Lord says to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 111 -- I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Romans 16 Romans 16 -- Greetings and Love NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. |
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