Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
January 29, 2025
Psalm 34:15-18
15 The LORD’s eyes watch the righteous, his ears listen to their cries for help. 16 But the LORD’s face is set against those who do evil, to eliminate even the memory of them from the earth. 17 When the righteous cry out, the LORD listens; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he saves those whose spirits are crushed.
Good Morning. When the righteous cry out, the Lord listens!
Nonbelievers often ask Christians who are suffering, where is your God? The authors of books such as Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People try to explain this concept that God doesn’t cause bad things, but when a bad thing happens, God uses it to find good.
In our initial moment of grief or despair, we aren’t ready to have these discussions; we simply need someone to lean on and comfort us. God gives us the grace to work through our anger. Sometimes, our anger is directed at God, but other times, it is directed at another person or just the situation in general. Anger is a natural response in those moments.
God bears all our emotions, including our anger. God is with us through every second of every day. God watches from a distance during our moments of strength, allowing us to work and experience our challenges. During our moments of despair, God listens and draws near, providing us the shoulder upon which we can lean as we cry and grieve together.
The Good News is that God is with us, closer than the very breath we breathe. Job 27:3 says, As long as my breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils . . . In Acts 17:27 we read, So that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him, although He is not far from each one of us.
Loving Lord, Maker of all things! You love us! With each breath we take, we feel your presence. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Breathe in the loving spirit of God!
God is with us! Pastor Liz
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