Devotionals

Ephesians 4:29

Abraham Lincoln’s coffin was pried open on more than one occasion.

Once in 1887, 22 years after his assassination. Why? It was not to determine if he had died of a bullet fired from John Wilkes Booth’s derringer. Then why? Because a rumour was sweeping the country that his coffin was empty. A select group of witnesses observed that the rumour was totally false, then watched as the casket was resealed with lead.

Genesis 12:1–2

When God calls a servant, there is little room for negotiation. The most striking example of this is when God spoke to Abram, lifting him from obscurity and setting him on a course that would change human history.

The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous (Genesis 12:1–2).

Proverbs 18:24

Are you attractive? I’m not referring to external beauty nor facial features. I’m asking ifyouare personally attractive—magnetic, winsome, charming, friendly. Reflect carefully on this interesting proverb:

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly (Proverbs 18:24 KJV).

Do you see the point of the proverb? To have friends we must be friendly. Friendliness is a matter of being someone ... more than it is doing something. The best overview of the wonder of how God designed you is found in Psalm 139.

2 Peter 3:3–4

Nine-year-old Danny burst out of Sunday school, eyes darting in every direction trying to locate his mom or dad. After a quick search, he grabbed his daddy by the leg and yelled, “Man, that story of Moses and all those people crossing the Red Sea was great!”His father looked down, smiled, and asked the boy to tell him about it.

Mark 6:31–32

It is almost 10:00, Monday night. The children are snoozing upstairs. Aside from a few outside noises—a passing car ... a barking dog ... a few, faint voices in the distance—all’s quiet on the home front. That wonderful, much-needed presence has again come for a visit—quietness. I recall when our children were little, how valuable times of silence were to both Cynthia and me.

Psalm 27:14

David’s cry for help doesn’t end with an account of God’s sudden and miraculous provision. Instead, the songwriter commits to doing what comes least naturally to people in fear. He committed to doing nothing. He chose to wait on God. Read that again—aloud.

Exhortation to wait

Wait for the LORD;

Be strong and let your heart take courage;

Yes, wait for the LORD (Psalm 27:14).

Psalm 27:7–12

While David’sfirst response to fear wasn’t a panicked plea for help, he didn’t live in denial. He merely chose to celebrate God’s power to recall His past triumphs. Eventually, however, David did ask the Lord for what he needed. No longer panicked, he expressed his desires with intense emotion.

Petition for Needs

Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice,

And be gracious to me and answer me.

When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You,

“Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.”

Psalm 27:4–6

When fear has us in its icy grip, we quickly turn toward self-preservation. We hope to avoid loss, escape pain, or cheat death. Not David! His composition, preserved for us as Psalm 27, gives priority to eternal matters. Verses 4–6 revolve around the idea of David’s desire to maintain constant, intimate fellowship with his Lord.

One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the LORD

Psalm 27:1–3

As David faced his fears and expressed them to God in Psalm 27, he began with worship, celebrating the power and faithfulness of his God.

Declaration of praise

The key to the entire song is verse 1. It consists of two similar sentences, each ending with a rhetorical question.

Psalm 27:1–14