KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Chapters: Psalms 43-47
Message: Hope Through Tragedy
Hello My Friend,
When tragedy strikes in a nation the most asked question is, “Why did God allow this to happen?” We can speculate as to why, but contrary to what we believe, God’s main reason for allowing anything is to introduce tender hearts to the Saviour. Let me tell you, there are some people just plain evil, and just like God does not mess with our free will, He does not mess with theirs. Of course, He can intervene, and He does more often than we think, but it is usually within the tragedy itself. Tragedy removes pride and opens hearts to see what really is important, the saving of souls. “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” – James 5:20.
“that he which converteth the sinner” Who is a sinner? We all are. Regardless of whether or not we believe that, the truth is, we all are sinners. Sin is any wrongdoing in the eyes of God, we can ignore, rebel, or deny it, but it does not change the fact that what God sees as sin is sin. The worse thing that happens after a tragedy is all the speculation that comes up as to why the people did what they did, who were they working for, what was the motive, as if all these experts know exactly what was going through their mind. Let me tell you, tragic events do not happen by impulse, they are carefully planned out months, maybe years in advance and they will do anything to make sure their plan is carried out. David wrote Psalm 43 when Saul’s son, Jonathan brought him the news that Saul wanted him dead.
“Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” – Psalms 43.
“O send out thy light and thy truth:” When we are left without words, when we are too numb to even think, when we are sick with pain and grieve, there is no better comfort than Jesus Christ, He is our strength, He is our hope, He is health to our body, mind, and spirit. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” – Romans 15:4.
I understand that when in the midst of a tragedy that the last thing you want to do is read a Bible, but you do not have to read the Bible to know God is with you. There was no Bible in the days of Job, Abraham, Jacob, or Moses, they trusted God by faith, and let Him guide them, sometimes they were in the most devastating situations, but they knew God would see them through somehow. “Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death. If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god; Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.” – Psalms 44:19-23.
“we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.” The world and many religions will never understand our hope in Jesus Christ, and some will go to the extreme to stop us, but those who trust Him will be safe, no matter what. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” – John 10:27,28.
I spent the last three days in a fog, my head has this continual ache, my body feels like jello, and my concentration is out in neverland somewhere, I press on, but it takes every bit of strength I have to move. It is amazing how tragic events affect you even though you are not part of them, how they disrupt lives and bring such somberness around you. Do you know what is more amazing? That one day we who are saved will never have to endure any more pain or sorrow, we have an amazing life awaiting us in the Kingdom of God.
“Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. Kings’ daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.” – Psalms 45:6-11.
“All thy garments smell of myrrh,” This is an amazing picture of Jesus as He takes His bride, all those who received Him as Saviour, and adorns them with the not only immorality, but no more pain, sorrow, sickness, and death. “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” – Revelation 19:7-9.
Through tragedies, there is one thing we must realize is that life on earth is too short, we do not have a guarantee of tomorrow, or even an hour from now, but we do have a guarantee of being with the Lord. So, do not waste the day worried about the next dollar, meal, or deal, hug and kiss your precious ones, tell everyone you know about Jesus, and praise God for His mercy, grace, and sending His Son to give us hope of life beyond the grave. “God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.” – Psalms 47:5-9.
Jesus Christ Revealed: Today, Jesus is revealed through the suffering as sheep unto death (44:22). Jesus suffered the pain of the cross unto His death, but later conquered it with His resurrection. “As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” – Romans 8:36,37.
Today’s Prayer: God, As we try to cope and understand the tragic events that happen in our lives, let us find peace, hope, and comfort through Your Word, prayer, and presences in our lives. Touch and heal all those who are in pain, grieving, and personally affected by a tragedy, give them strength and guidance to endure, and let them know you are there, covering them with your love, and protecting them. We may never know and understand why these things happen to us, but we can find hope in Your Son, I pray they all see Him and accept Him. Let us all be strong in You, give us Your power to be testimonies and strength for those who need it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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