'strength' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth.” vs. 10 Psalm 46:6-10 More than once in this election season many have felt like echoing this psalm and wishing that the politicians would just be still. If only we could have even a moment’s relief from the ongoing diatribes and accusations, it would be wonderful. But even when we turn off our social media, the loud voices interrupt our…
Daily Devotions
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days’ rise again.” vs. 31 Mark 8:27-33 Mark reports in his gospel that when the disciples tell Jesus that they believed he was the messiah; he gave them a glimpse of what was to come. There would be a period of great suffering and rejection and finally…
Daily Devotions
And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” vs. 41 Mark 4:39-41 Mark concludes this little story of the stormy sea with a question and his intention in using it is clear. Centuries before in Psalm 107 the psalmist had written, “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out from their distress; he made the storm be…
Daily Devotions
Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those 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.” vss. 30-31 Isaiah 40:27-31 Isaiah was exhorting his people to make a long term investment in the Lord, and his carefully chosen words have given hope to every struggling generation. As their early aspirations fall…
Daily Devotions
For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.” vs. 5 Psalm 62:5-8 There are some who had occasion this holiday weekend to reflect on the life and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. While in his lifetime many considered him to be a troublemaker and a threat to national security, we now see more clearly his intent and his purpose. He had a dream of a world in which divisions based on race…
Daily Devotions
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” vs. 19 Psalm 80:17-19 The psalmist was thinking of the nation of Israel in his prayer, but his words have been used since in countless prayers, perhaps even our own. All face times in their lives when they are deeply conscious that things are not as they once were, that relationships have foundered, health has declined, or inflation has taken a bite out of…
Daily Devotions
Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant; save the child of your serving girl.” vs. 16 Psalm 86:14-17 The psalmist was in a tough spot. He had enemies, ruffians who were indifferent to the Lord, and they were seeking his life. At the end of his rope he pleads for God’s intervention and rescue, asking for strength in his time of trouble. He had been trained from his youth that God could be…
Daily Devotions
And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” vs. 11 John 17:6-11 We know that a sense of unity is integral to any successful marriage. Not only is it scriptural, but references to the importance of “two becoming one” are also heard at secular or…
Daily Devotions
May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!” vs. 11 Psalm 29 Technologically speaking, we are the most advanced civilization ever! Many people could never have dreamed of the devices and tools that they have at their daily disposal, and it’s hard for them to even imagine that life could get any better. Yet given the recent history of our country and the deep divisions in the world, even those who live…
Daily Devotions
The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens—wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.” vs. 4 Isaiah 50:4-9a According to Luke, after Jesus entered Jerusalem he went directly to the temple and raised a ruckus with the money-changers. He then spent his days in the temple precincts teaching the people and debating with the scribes and Pharisees.…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 29 “May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!” vs. 11 The psalmist had no doubt about the sovereignty of God, and believed that every part of creation reflected the power and majesty of its creator. Earthquakes, winds, thunder, and lightning were all a part of the earth’s posturing before the Almighty One–and as one caught up in the turmoil and messiness of it all, he cried out, “May the Lord…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 46:1-5 … “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” vs. 1 In the 1520’s as Martin Luther was facing increased resistance to his reformation writings and the forces of the Empire were poised to eliminate the fledgling Lutheran movement, he found great comfort in the words of Psalm 46. In fact it became the inspiration for his greatest song, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” a tune sometimes called “The Battle Hymn of the…
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