Daily Bible Devotionals

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. - Selah” Psalm 46:10-11 (NKJV)

Today’s psalm is subtitled “A Song For Alamoth.”  That Hebrew word is a plural for  “alma,” which means “virgin/young girl.”  It is a song written to be sung by a choir of young girls. So, what can we learn from that? Quite a bit!

First, at a glance, in a Biblical worship sense, it appears that men dominated the landscape of Old Testament Jewish worship. Today’s psalm indicates that corporate worship for Biblical Israel was not an all-male event with women passively standing by. Women participated as well. At times, the spotlight was on the ladies, with songs written specifically for women to present to the congregation.

Second, the imagery is feminine.  

“There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. -  Selah” Psalm 46:4-7 (NKJV)

And lastly, the message of the psalm specifically resonates with a woman’s core spiritual and emotional needs. While men tend to need to be reassured of their significance, women typically express that feeling secure is atop their core needs. Can’t you just picture this psalm being presented by a choir of young girls declaring that their security does not come from their personal beauty or from the man they may someday marry? It must have had a profound ministry impact, not only on women in attendance but also on the men who were seeking a woman of God who had her priorities firmly aligned with God’s Word, His plan, and purpose!

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.  - Selah” Psalm 46:1-3 (NKJV)

The imagery of today’s psalm reminds me of Jesus’ words, contrasting how wise and foolish men build their houses. Wind and rain (difficult seasons) beat against all men’s houses, but the home built on the secure foundation of God endures.

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”  Matthew 7:24-25 (NKJV)

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions. All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad. Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women; at Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir. Listen, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your own people also, and your father’s house; so the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord, worship Him.” Psalm 45:6-11 (NKJV)

Several years ago, while I was teaching Bible studies in coffeehouses around Southern California, a young man who was quite upset approached me. His rub was that I had taught how a particular Psalm was about the Messiah. He said, “The psalms don’t have anything to do with Jesus!” Short answer: he was wrong. Many of the psalms are about Messiah Jesus, and today’s psalm is directly attributed to Jesus by the New Testament writer of the book of Hebrews.

“But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.’” Hebrews 1:8-9 (NKJV)

The fact that the psalmist addresses Messiah as “O God” is supporting evidence (like Isaiah 9:6 and Micah 5:2) of Messiah’s (Jesus’) deity and that He has existed forever. Furthermore, Psalm 45’s instruction of foreign “daughters” to “forget your own people also, and your father’s house” reminds us of the story of Ruth.

“Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. And she said, ‘Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.’ But Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.” Ruth 1:14-17 (NKJV)

God’s heart has always been for Gentiles to repent of pagan ways to follow Him.

“‘Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants - everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant - even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.’ The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, ‘Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him.’” Isaiah 56:6-8 (NKJV)

“If we had forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a foreign god, would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise! Do not cast us off forever. Why do You hide Your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our body clings to the ground. Arise for our help and redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.”  Psalm 44:20-26 (NKJV)

Today’s psalm is divided into three sections: past, present, and future. During a time of great distress, a small remnant in Judah has set their hearts toward revival. The psalm begins with God’s past faithfulness along with the admission that any past deliverance was solely the Lord’s doing and not their own. So, the psalmist does not petition the politicians, the merchants, or the army. He seeks the Lord, who fights on behalf of His own. He alone delivers! It is the same point the apostle Paul makes to the church in Rome, even quoting Psalm 44 to provide context for his faith.

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39 (NKJV)

While the nation of Israel was being judged for having departed from God’s Word, the remnant of those who had returned to the Lord and committed to living according to His Word wondered if the Lord had noticed their repentance. They even asked if He was sleeping! It brings context to a New Testament account.

“But as they sailed He (Jesus) fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!’”  Luke 8:23-25 (NKJV)

Even if we feel God is asleep, He’s always in control. Rest and know that He’s got you!

“Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! For You are the God of my strength; why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.”  Psalm 43:1-5 (NKJV)

You never know that God is all you need until God is all you have. It is one of the great lessons of the Psalms. Just as every Christian college Freshman away from home for the first time must learn to cope with the absence of familiar things and learn to rely on God, we must fight the urge to detach ourselves from (or skip past) the loneliness of the psalmists. They are speaking to each of us. We all feel alone and forsaken at times, but here in the Psalms, you can find comfort in both the brotherhood and the hope to overcome.

How should you respond if you find yourself in a situation where you are isolated and unjustly accused? Worse, what if you find yourself JUSTLY accused before God? That’s right. What if someone is casting accusations about you to God, and you know you have no defense because their facts are correct? Not only does that happen, but it is also happening against you in the heavenly realm right at this moment!

“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’” Revelation 12:10 (NKJV)

So, if Satan is accusing us day and night, who stands to vindicate us day and night?

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” 1 John2:1(NKJV)

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle - I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying - a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” 1 Timothy 2:5-7 (NKJV)

Jesus paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. We find hope in the psalms and can go to the altar with “exceeding joy,” not because we will be found innocent of the accusations against us, but precisely because we are GUILTY of the accusations, yet Jesus himself has delivered us! (Zechariah 3:3-4)

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“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, ‘Where is your God?’ When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.”  Psalm 42:1-5 (NKJV)

You may not guess by looking at me today, but I used to be a college athlete. I recall those long cross-country workouts, seven or eight miles from my dorm room, thirsting for a drink of water! That memory of long-distance race training is how I picture the deer of the Ein Gedi, whose life depended on finding a random stream in the desert. It is also an excellent word picture of how we should seek the Lord, not as a RESOURCE for living, but as THE SOURCE of life. Jesus used the same image.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6 (NKJV)

Exactly what is the psalmist thirsting for? God! But what aspect of God does he want? His protection? His prosperity? No, it is His proximity, His presence. More specifically, going to the temple and worshipping with others. The psalmist sought the presence of the Lord within the community of believers, the “multitude.”

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25 (NKJV)

The psalmist attended the temple at the appointed feasts: Passover, Shavuot (Pentecost) & Sukkot (Festival of Booths), but now his sin has forced him to stop. Many followers of Jesus become convinced that their sin separates them from the godly community. Satan whispers discouragement and counsels against approaching God. It is how the enemy isolates us from God’s merciful forgiveness and our rejoining the community of believers.

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)

God is faithful and just to forgive those who ask. Experience His blessing again!

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, “This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”’” Numbers 6:22-26 (NKJV)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Psalm 41. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth - praise to our God; many will see it and fear and will trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.” Psalm 40:1-4 (NKJV)

The Biblical image of “the pit” is literally the grave and figuratively Hell. Sometimes, a trip to the pit was a direct judgment of a person’s rebellion against God, as was the case with Korah after Israel’s exodus from Egyptian captivity.

“‘But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.’ Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.” Numbers 16:30-33 (NKJV)

Other times, a person was thrown into a literal pit, as unjust punishment by men. Daniel was thrown into a pit with lions. Joseph (aka the Prince of Egypt) was thrown into a pit by his brothers. And Jeremiah went to the pit to prophesy God’s Word.  

“Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. When the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin, Ebed-Melech went out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying: ‘My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is no more bread in the city.’ Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the pit before he dies.’ So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the pit to Jeremiah. Then Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, ‘Please put these old clothes and rags under your armpits, under the ropes.’ And Jeremiah did so. So they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the pit. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.” Jeremiah 38:7-13 (NKJV)

So, how do we endure the unjust “pit”? We cling to God’s Word, as David in verse 4!

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV)

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears; for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were. Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, before I go away and am no more.”  Psalm 39:12-13 (NKJV)

We have all, no doubt, seen movies where a military leader is inspecting his troops. I picture the long military parades common in Communist countries, where miles of soldiers march and a nation’s power is on display to encourage its citizens and intimidate its enemies. There is also the more personal inspection of a drill sergeant with his boot camp recruits. Far from a display of polished medals and military hardware, the drill sergeant looks for the slightest imperfection. His goal is to teach the entire unit how the carelessness of a single soldier can affect them all. No boot camp soldier wants the drill instructor to stop abruptly, turn on a dime, and stare him down.  

That is the picture David paints of the gaze of God. David has messed up. He had promised to “guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue.” But then, when he was unguarded and goofing off (“While I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue.”), David shot his mouth off in a way that demanded the rebuke of God.

Yes, God is loving, gracious, and kind, but He is also just and demands that His followers discipline themselves. It is not just an Old Testament idea; Jesus calls us all to be “disciples.” And what is a disciple but a person who disciplines themselves to follow the Lord, saying “no” to the flesh and “yes” to God and His Word?

You may wonder what the big deal is. We live in a generation that shoots its mouth off on Twitter & Facebook, 24-7! Well, the “gaze of God” is more than just a glance. When God gazes at you, He is scanning your whole being, soul & all, as a TSA agent X-rays airplane passengers. And by no means do you want to glare back at God as if you could find fault with His judgment and call His character into account!

“And he (Moses) said, ‘Please, show me Your glory.’ Then He said, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’ But He said, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.’ And the Lord said, ‘Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.’” Exodus 33:18-23 (NKJV)

David knew he was guilty and that God had no problem identifying David’s pride, the source of his sin. But David knew as we know. While God is a righteous judge, He is also gracious and merciful. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“O Lord do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! For Your arrows pierce me deeply, and Your hand presses me down. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.”  Psalm 38:1-5 (NKJV)

During his 2016 election campaign, President Donald Trump shocked Christians at the Family Leadership Summit when he told an interviewer that he considered himself a Christian but had never asked God for forgiveness. What appalled Christians was how a person could declare himself a believer but skip over an essential mechanic in the process of salvation: repentance! To turn to Jesus, one must admit they need salvation and be willing to turn from their sin.

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19-21 (NKJV)

In the days that followed Trump’s statement, efforts were made by other interviewers to have Trump clarify. Cal Thomas extracted from the candidate, “I will be asking for forgiveness, but hopefully, I won’t have to be asking for much forgiveness.” Fellow candidate Ben Carson even told reporters he had prayed with Trump, who had asked the Lord for forgiveness. But the damage was done.   The reason I mention Trump’s statement is not to denigrate President Trump. Instead, I was taken aback by the contrast of Trump’s not feeling he needed to ask forgiveness set against the backdrop of King David’s burden over his self-admitted transgressions and “foolishness.” Humility is a far more powerful quality for a leader than hubris. And we can learn from David not just how to defeat giants and elude Saul but how to return to the Lord after we have sinned. If you do not feel you need forgiveness, remember this:  there is a little “Saul” in us all.

But can David be sure God will listen to his prayers, much less respond positively to his entreats? More importantly, what happens when we repent?  

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

Indeed, while David could not be certain of the degree of mercy the Lord would show him, he knew he could trust God at His Word. A small measure of God’s mercy is worth infinitely more than political correctness and human effort.

“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Luke 5:32 (NKJV)