Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube of song and lyrics from Zach Williams singing … Fear He Is A Liar … powerfully singing of how we must trust in our Lord to lift us and hold us when we’re fearful.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 57:1-2 [NKJV] … 1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed. 2 I will cry out to God most High,… to God who performs all things for me.
… God’s promise to ALWAYS be there to to be our refuge in times of trial.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 57 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… When David was fearful of Saul’s pursuits, he trusted in God to deliver him.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Sometimes, because of fear, we have trouble going to God and trusting Him to lead us.
Reference Passage : … Psalm 68:19 [NLT] … 19 Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day He carries us in His arms.
… God will ALWAYS be there to carry us when we our fears envelope us.
Reference Passage : … Isaiah 41:10 [NKJV] … 10 Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
… We must trust in the Lord to be there and lift us up in fearful times.
Reference Passage : … John 16:33 [NKJV] … 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
… Jesus’ promise to be our overcomer when we encounter fearful things in this world.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Monica Brands, teaches on how we must trust God when our fears seem to paralyze us. The ODB author writes … Fear can leave us frozen. We know all the reasons to be afraid—everything that’s hurt us in the past, everything that could easily do so again. So sometimes we’re stuck—unable to go back; too afraid to move forward. I just can’t do it. I’m not smart enough, strong enough, or brave enough to handle being hurt like that again.
I’m captivated by how author Frederick Buechner describes God’s grace: like a gentle voice that says, “Here is the world. Terrible and beautiful things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you.”
If you read my devotional entry yesterday, you may have noted, in reading this entry today, that many of the same scriptures are used to undergird the truths expounded today and well; … that turning to God’s strength to cover our weakness, especially in the face of our fears, is really the only effective strategy for Christians. I love today’s linked song, “Fear Is A Liar;” and it is so true, isn’t it?
We’re often conned by our fears to be paralyzed into inaction when God simply wants us to trust Him and follow Him. That’s what young David faced when King Saul was after him, trying to kill him; but in the midst of his threatening/fearful trials, he writes Psalm 57, declaring that he, David, trusted in HIs God for deliverance.
And so, if we’re facing fearful times, today, we need to realize that the same God Who delivered David is the God Who has promised to be our overcomer as well (see John 16:33). So, let’s go to Him and let Him lead us today … out of the valley of the shadow of death and fear and into His garden of watch-care.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, for always holding me in Your arms.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I’m praying for the trust I will always need to believe that You’re there to lift me up in fearful times. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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