Devotionals

Psalm 23: 3 & 4, NIV
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

The words of Psalm 23 embrace every stage and experience of life – seasons of peace and tranquillity, times when we are facing enemies and that time of life which we all have to go through one day – the valley of the shadow of death.

On numerous occasions now, my wife and I have had to accompany someone through their own valley of the shadow of death – most of them members of our teams or families who had reached the end of their days. But on one occasion a much younger man suffered a major heart attack and a few hours later he went to be with the Lord.

In almost his last words he expressed to Fiona the urgency there was in his spirit about the need for holiness and unity in the ministry. He knew that the Lord was asking him to speak to the leaders about these critical issues. And having delivered his message it was only an hour or so later that the heart attack struck him and he was helpless on the ground.

Even though he knew that what he was going through was very serious, there was no panic and no fear, he was totally at peace that the Lord was with him in his personal journey through the valley of the shadow of death. With his final words, he told Fiona that he felt like a baby being held safe in his Father’s arms. He was comforted in his spirit by the presence of the Lord who carried him to the safety of eternity. The powers of darkness had no say in the matter. Demonic fear was powerless to intervene. His death, when it came, was a supreme God-moment.

This is the testimony of the saints of God. The Lord is their comforter at their greatest moment of personal need. No wonder Paul referred to Him as “the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles” in 2 Corinthians 1:3 & 4. And in 1 Corinthians 15:54 Paul declared that “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

While no-one looks forward to the moment of dying it is so very encouraging to know that when our time comes we have nothing to fear from the forces of evil and we have a place to go to, which the Good Shepherd has prepared for each one of His sheep. The Gospel is such incredibly good and encouraging news!

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for your incredible love and provision for each one of Your children. Thank You that I can look forward to all the rest of my days, knowing that when it is my turn to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You will be there to comfort me and welcome me to my eternal home with You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”Psalm 23:1-2, NIVThere can be no more encouragin…

Psalm 23:1-2, NIV
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

There can be no more encouraging verses of Scripture than these. Psalm 23 is the most well-known of all the Psalms for this very reason – it speaks of comfort and encouragement to men and women at every stage and in every condition of life.

God is unchangeable and cannot ever change His character. His heart is that of a Shepherd for His people and he longs to gather His sheep into His arms and speak to them words of comfort and blessing. Isaiah tell us in 40:11 that “He tends his flock like a shepherd: he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” This is the heart and character of our loving Creator God.

Then Jesus told the story of the shepherd who had a hundred sheep, but one of them had strayed and was lost – so he left the ninety-nine who were safe and went seeking the lost sheep till he found it. And what joy there was when the sheep that was lost was restored to the flock (Luke 15:1-7).

In all these Scriptures God is not really talking about sheep, He is talking about the people he loves and using sheep as a picture that anyone and everyone can understand, whatever their age and whatever their culture. It is a universal image that speaks to the very core of who we are as human beings. We all have a deep inner need of being loved, nurtured and cared for by our heavenly Father. And He is ready, willing and able!

There are seasons in life when we have different needs, according to the stage of the journey we have been walking through. Sometimes we are in need of rest in the human equivalent of green pastures, lying by still waters. At those times we can take in deeply of his loving provision, while he restores our soul. He wants to re-equip us for the road ahead.

Then He promises to lead us along paths of righteousness – and at that point we will need to exercise our free will and choose to follow in the direction that He is showing us. He is a good Shepherd and will not lead us in a direction that is contrary to His will and purpose for our lives. The heart of the message of these verses is that God can be trusted, so may I encourage you to trust Him now and always.

Prayer:Thank You, Lord, that You are not only a good Shepherd, but You are also My Shepherd. Thank You for your promise to lead me in paths of righteousness. I choose now to follow where You lead as I trust You afresh for every day of the rest of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O Lord, you brought me up from the grave, you spared me from going down into the pit.”Ps…

Psalm 30:1-3, NIV
“I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O Lord, you brought me up from the grave, you spared me from going down into the pit.”

David was an experienced warrior – but he was also experienced in the ways of God. From a young age, he had learned to worship and serve God. It was he, and not his older brothers, whom Samuel chose and anointed to be King. He had known God’s protection and supernatural direction in times of battle. God had shown him how to defeat Goliath and overcome the Philistines. He was a seasoned man of God.

But Satan is always on the lookout for our weaknesses and he knew that David had an Achilles heel. He had the potential for being led astray by the sight of a beautiful woman – especially one who was bathing in the open air in a place that was visible from the palace roof. And we all know how David fell into the trap and not only committed adultery but finished up having Bathsheba’s husband killed to try and cover up his sin.

But God in his mercy sent the prophet Nathan to confront David – at which point David had two choices. Either humble himself, repent and call out to God for forgiveness and help or use his authority as King to dispose of Nathan. He made the right choice. At that point in his life he was either heading for the pit of destruction or the path of restoration.

And God, in his mercy, heard David’s cry, healed his broken heart and spared him from the consequences of his sin. What he had done could not be undone – but his relationship with God was restored. In walking the road of repentance, he was also climbing the hill of hope and putting his feet firmly down on the rock of his salvation.

None of us are perfect and the enemy will always be on the lookout for our weaknesses. But if we slip up on our journey of faith, when we come face to face with the reality of our own sin, if we react in the same way as David did, then we will be assured of God’s healing and restoration. Repentance and forgiveness are the double doors which open to the gateway of hope!

Prayer:Thank You, Lord that David knew the reality of your healing and restoration. Help me, Lord, to follow you all my days, but if I do fall at any time, please show me in your mercy so that I may follow David’s example and know the joy of your restoring love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” Psalm 8:3-4, NIVThe witness of Scripture, from beginning to en…

Psalm 8:3-4, NIV
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”

The witness of Scripture, from beginning to end, is that God was and is the Creator of all things. Secular humanism is desperate, however, to write God out of the script and use science to prove that, in some extraordinary way, the whole of the universe accidentally created itself out of absolutely nothing – not only self-creating the matter of which the universe is made, but simultaneously creating the space in which all of God’s creation exists!

This is as scientifically nonsensical as sitting in the middle of a field, waiting for an airport and a Boeing 747 to self-create themselves, so that you can jet off on your holidays! We can be confident that this will never happen. In just the same way we can be confident that the Universe was not an accident and that as the Psalmist contemplated the glories of the heavens, he was right in his assessment, that the moon and the stars are the work of God’s hands.

Our sun is 93 million miles away from Planet Earth. But out there in space there is a star so big that its diameter is greater than eight times the distance between the Earth and the Sun! When I contemplate the vastness and the glory of the universe and then look at the sheer miracle of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, I cannot help but praise my God, the Creator of all things.

When the Psalmist sees the incredible magnificence of God’s amazing creation he is then lost in the miraculous wonder of the fact that this amazing God is mindful of his individual existence and cares about him. It’s hard for him to comprehend that Almighty God, the Creator of all things is aware of who he is and what he is doing!

But that is the reality of our God. He created all things, but it is mankind, made in His image and likeness, who is at the centre of His heart. When we look up to the heavens and see the magnificence of the night sky, we can be hugely encouraged that the God who put the stars in space and holds them in his hands, is the same God who put us on Planet Earth and sent His Son to show us how much He loved us.

Be encouraged – in spite of our apparent insignificance, when compared with the vastness of the universe, He is mindful of you, loves you and cares for you.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord for Your amazing creation. I marvel at the fact that You who made all things are mindful of who I am and care about me. Thank you for your wonderful love and extraordinary provision for me and all your children. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

“Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him . . . I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:3,NIVA godly person is someone who chooses to walk in the …

Psalm 4:3 & 8
“Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him . . . I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

A godly person is someone who chooses to walk in the ways of the Lord – to pursue righteousness and right living, whatever the circumstance. God sees the heart and rewards those whose hearts are after him with his presence. As our Scripture encourages us today, He has set apart the godly for himself!

In every circumstance of life, we naturally prefer to keep the company of those who think like we do, enjoy similar interests, have similar objectives in life and can be really trusted. We are glad to call such people true friends. Scripture tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God, so how we feel about relationships is simply a reflection of how God feels about relationship with us.

God enjoys walking with those who think like He does, have similar objectives in life and can be really trusted. Abraham was like that and James tell us that “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God’s friend” (James 2:23).

It’s sometimes tempting to look around at the world, see the endless pleasures that seem to be available to the godless and be tempted to be jealous. But in the inner being of their spirit, there can only be loneliness, because they do not have the best companion there could ever be walking with them – the living God! God delights to keep fellowship with those who love Him and choose to walk with Him and delight in His ways. And as a companion you can talk with him and share your heart, knowing that He is utterly trustworthy and will keep your heart secure in the peace of God.

There is no torment in sleep for those who have the peace of God’s presence in their hearts. So, whatever the circumstances of life you may be going through in the ups and downs of life, we can know that we are secure in Him – not just for time, but for eternity as well. And that is something that no earthly pleasure can ever provide! So be encouraged.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for your promise to be with those who choose to walk in Your ways and to hear when they call upon You. Help me, Lord, never to stray into pathways that take me away from Your presence. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Proverbs 1:7, NIV
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

Who is God? Well, to begin with, He’s the Creator of all things. All power and authority are His. Everything in the universe is a fruit of His creative genius. There’s nothing in the whole of the universe which didn’t begin with God and wasn’t made by Him. He does, therefore, deserve our wonder, awe and respect. It would be an act of gross stupidity not to recognise that He knows more than we do about absolutely everything – not just about the universe that He’s made – but about living life itself.

Then, God is pure love. The Bible doesn’t just say He decided to love us, but that his whole being is LOVE. Love is His very nature! And having created the universe, He completed His creative vision by making mankind in His own image and likeness, because He wanted to share His love with us in relationship. But man used His God-given free will to turn away from the One who made the stars, and the whole Universe. In the words of our scripture for today, mankind despised God’s wisdom and refused to respect the discipline of being obedient.

Throughout Scripture we read about the ‘fear of the Lord’ as being absolutely vital to living a successful and blessed life. It was in ‘holy fear’ that Noah was said to have built the ark (Hebrews 11:7). He desperately wanted to do it right. But the fact is, if we don’t live in the daily reality of holy fear, which means trusting in God more than we trust in ourselves, then we’ll always make our own choices without reference to the God who made us, and often those choices will be foolish ones.

None of us likes to be shown up as having been a fool, but if we choose to live life our own way, without reference to God or His way, then, in the end, we’ll be seen to have been fools. The psalmist tells us that it’s the fool who says in his heart that there’s no God (Psalm 14:1). Choosing to live life, without reference to Him, is an act of massive stupidity.

To come before Him in holy fear, acknowledging Him for who He is, and choosing to submit your life to the authority of the living God and His Word, is the most sensible thing anyone can ever do. As our scripture for today says – it’s the beginning of wisdom.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You cared enough about me to give me Your Word. Forgive me, Lord, for the many times I’ve chosen to trust in my own wisdom instead of Yours. And help me, Lord, to always look to You as the Captain of the ship of my life. I choose to live in holy fear of the only living and loving God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.