God is Our Comfort
Have you ever looked around you and wondered, “why is there so much evil, wickedness, and pain in the world?”
In Psalm 94, King David is extremely upset about the state of humanity. People are blaming God for the world’s rampant wickedness as though God did not see it and did not care (verses 1-7). So David reminds his audience that the Lord is Creator, and He knows, sees, and hears all that goes on (verses 8-11).
Because of God, David could say, “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” (Verse 19)
King David’s “cares of the heart” were because of the wickedness and evil he saw—and our world is not much different. But David’s consolation in all the evil he witnessed was his Creator and Savior.
That’s why He could close his psalm by writing, “But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge. He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness, the LORD our God will wipe them out.” (Verses 22-23)
This isn’t the most pleasant psalm to read. It’s full of pain and anger, sorrow and injustice. But, it’s a prayer of hope and perspective which we can learn from.
There is wickedness, injustice, and war all around us. But in the midst of pain and brokenness, we can follow King David’s example and look to God for comfort and peace. God took care of our shame and sin through the death of Jesus Christ, and He will one day take care of all wickedness and evil.
Until then, like David, we can say, “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.”
By trusting in God and knowing that He will one day wipe away all wickedness, we can bring Him our hopes, dreams, fears, and concerns and receive His comfort.
So right now, think about the cares you have that need to be given to God. How can knowing God cheer your soul?
Perseverance Brings a Harvest
Have you ever started something new, but gave up after a few tries? Maybe you tried to create a new morning routine or a Bible reading habit, only to give up after a few weeks. It can be hard to build enough discipline to start something new—or to change.
It can also be challenging to receive discipline from someone. Maybe you remember being disciplined as a kid by your parent. Or maybe you’ve faced discipline at work for a mistake you made.
In either case, discipline is hard and takes a lot of work.
Scripture says that for those who endure discipline, and persevere, there is a harvest of righteousness and peace waiting for them. However, it doesn’t happen easily and often makes us uncomfortable. We have to be trained through discipline to create godly habits that will then produce righteousness and peace in our lives.
Take some time today to consider: Where can you allow the Holy Spirit to build discipline in your life? What daily habits should you begin ...