10-28-20 Today in the Word

LONGING FOR GOD Wednesday, October 28, 2020 | Psalm 70 October 2020 Today in the Word Daily Devotional SAVING HELP Sometimes we have a hard time asking for help. On more than one occasion this has caused me to get into a difficulty that I could have easily avoided. One reason why many of us struggle with asking for help is that we like to think that we want to be thought of as self-sufficient. In today’s reading, David recognized that he could not solve his problems by himself. He needed God’s help, and he needed it quickly! Notice the urgency in his language. He begins this short lament with the word “hasten” and ends it with the command “do not delay”! In between these two pleas he twice urges God to “come quickly” (vv. 1, 5). David illustrates his plight by describing two groups of people. There are those who want to take his life, shame him, and discredit him (vv. 2–3). David prays that these people will be stopped in their tracks. Then there are people who rejoice in the Lord. These people never tire of declaring that “The LORD is great!” (v. 4). David prays that they will be supported and blessed. He places himself in this latter group and declares, “But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God” (v. 5). This prayer teaches us that we should recognize and confess our need for God. We are not self-sufficient and there is no shame in begging God for help. It also teaches us that in the midst of a difficult situation, we can still proclaim that “The LORD is great!” (v. 4). When we do so we are joining with the faithful throughout the ages who have testified to its truth. >> In the gospels, a father asked Jesus to heal his son. Jesus said if he really believed He would help. The father replied, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). This father illustrates the sense of dependence on God displayed in today’s psalm. PRAY WITH US Lord, show us how to recognize our need for you. Help us always to turn to you in our time of difficulty. Today’s psalm teaches us how to do this in a humble and honest way.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-17-23 Not in a Billion Years

Not In A Million Billion Years :: By Dave Hubley Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles (There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.) Several years ago, I had a conversation with a guy in a waiting room while getting an oil change (in the car, not me). I don’t recall exactly how the conversation originated or how it progressed, but I have never forgotten it. As I recall, it had something to do with evolution and an article that was contained in a “waiting room magazine” that was available there. He made the observation that God was “something that man had made up.” I can’t recall the exact reason he used to justify his opinion, but it had something to do with the usual reasons people give: Weak-willed people needing a crutch, and blah, blah, blah. I engaged him in a “witness,
Read more

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th
Read more