Daily Devotional Guide

A PLEA FOR JUSTICE

 Psalm 82:1-8

And say to the judges, “Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment. Now therefore, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes. 2 Chronicles 19:6-7

God chose people in every season and generation to represent Him on earth to carry out His divine will. To bring order and to be the light in the darkness. This can be seen from our text but it is sad to note that people who should stand and help the oppressed and poor were not living up to their responsibility. They perverted justice and were willing to be partial for a bribe. The poor, orphans, afflicted, and needy are a set of people who should be cared for and protected against injustice because of their disadvantage. People in positions of authority and power should be fair to them and not treat them as less humans due to their condition.

Despite what happens in the world, those who call on the name of the Lord should act differently when they are privileged to be in power. They should deal fairly with all people irrespective of status or wealth. Money or possessions should never determine the value of humans created in the image of God. Even if this is common in society, it should not be the case among believers. We must stand with God to defend the oppressed with our words and actions. Silence is not golden when others are afflicted, deprived, and disrespected. The consolation that we have is that God will judge the leaders who have turned justice upside down because of gain. God is relying on you as a light in darkness. You’re to bring justice and stand for the truth in your little corner or position.

Prayer

Father, I repent from misrepresenting You. I receive grace to stand for justice and treat people fairly. Amen.

GOD WILL DEFEND HIS OWN

Psalm 83:1-12

The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. Exodus 14:14

The fourth verse of our text reads; “They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” This is similar to the words of Gamel Abdel Nasser, then President of the now-dissolved United Arab Republic, on May 28, 1967: “We plan to open a general assault on Israel. This will be total war. Our basic aim is the destruction of Israel.” A few days later, on June 5, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Algeria, Sudan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco formed a confederacy and attacked the nation Israel. The war lasted just six days. Israel came out of this fatal assault as the undisputed victor.

Many nations came together to besiege Israel but God defended His people and gave them victory. The fifth verse of our text asserts that fighting against Israel is fighting against God. We can see a New Testament type of this when Jesus put it to Saul that he was persecuting Him by persecuting His Church. But God always defends His own against boastful and wicked men or nations. Whatever is done to His people is done to Him. Just as Asaph, we ought to present the boastings and evil plans of the enemies before God in prayer. The Lord will fight for His people. He will defend His Church and the gates of hell will be defeated. Pray and trust God to fight the battles of His people. The Lord will defend you. God will protect His Church and cause an increase in the midst of opposition.

Prayer

Pray for the Church in your nation. Ask the Lord to defend His own and expand His kingdom amid the threats of adversaries.

YEARNING FOR GOD

 Psalm 84:1-12.

My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalms 84:2

The glory of anything is found in its source. The beauty of a tree is seen only when it’s rooted in the soil. When it’s uprooted from the soil, it fades away and dies. The psalmist in our text portrays his deep yearning for God and His house. He x-rays the essence of God’s presence in the life of a person. This longing is the cry of a heart that appreciates God as its source and sustenance. As a tree gets its positioning and nourishment from the soil, so do we as believers draw life and strength from God and risk dying off without Him.

Yearning for God is yearning for life. It is understanding that without Him nothing can be done. It is knowing that the Christian race is impossible without constant fellowship with the Lord and with other brethren. It is constantly leaning on the everlasting arms of God for help. Prioritising God’s presence and fellowship with saints comes with several benefits. There is the confidence of being strong in the Lord and the power of His might. There is the focus on being heavenly-minded since your heart is set on pilgrimage (heaven). There is the ability to sing amid sorrow because as you go through the Valley of Baca (weeping) you convert it into a spring of joy. There is the certainty of going from strength to strength. There is the assurance of dwelling in grace and glory while receiving good from the Lord. Are there things that distract you from yearning for the Lord? Repent today and prioritize fellowship with God and the saints.

Prayer

Lord, my soul longs for You today, I will stay in Your presence. Make, transform, and conform me to Your will. Amen.

SEEKING REVIVAL

 Psalm 85:1-13

Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Psalm 85:6

Revival is to bring back to life; to reawaken interest in the things of the Lord. Believers are designed to enjoy worshipping and serving God. When there is a loss of interest in keeping to the commands of the Lord, then revival is needed. This is beyond hosting ‘revival programmes’ it is reawakening spiritual consciousness and fervency. It is reawakening the hunger for God and righteousness among people. The psalmist here cries out for restoration and revival. He saw the destruction caused by sin and pleaded for a restoration of the favour of God on the land and the people.

Many today have lost the joy that springs from a fervent spiritual life. They have come to accept that rejoicing in the Lord and enjoying His divine interventions are past events that may not happen again. This is a very terrible place to be in. In this place, the believer’s song is gone because fellowship is broken and the past is better than the present. But faith is never satisfied with history, it wants to see God in current events. You have to go to the Lord and seek the refreshing of His Spirit. Repentance is a first and necessary step in the right direction. When the Lord grants revival, there will be a deliverance from the consequences of unfaithfulness—captivity, affliction, powerlessness and unhappiness. The Lord can revive you if you ask Him to.    

Prayer

Revive me oh Lord in Your mercy and cause me to rejoice in You again. Amen.

PRESENTING YOUR PETITION 

 Psalms 86:1-7

And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1 John 5:15

The attitudes we come to God with in the place of prayers determine the results we receive. It is expected of us as believers to present God with reasons for Him to answer our prayers. From our text,  we see David presenting the reasons for his petitions to be granted. In humility, he began to mention the areas he needed God to look at and give answers. David was apparently in a desperate position and he needed God to come to His aid otherwise He would perish.

We need to understand that we serve a God who hears and answers prayer. When we come before Him, rather than complain, we must present our case on the merits of Jesus Christ and His word. How often do you present your petition to God standing on His word? Do you complain and try to blackmail God? Approach the throne of grace on the basis of Christ and His word and see the Lord coming to your aid. Your prayer should be word-based. God enjoys granting the petition of people who hold Him accountable to His word. Have you spoken to God today about your situation?

Prayer

Lord, I come with my strong petition before You today pleading on the basis of Christ and Your unchanging promises. 

WE SERVE A GREAT GOD 

 Psalms 86:8-13

For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God. Psalm 86:10

In the grand scheme of life, your understanding of who God is matters a lot. Every one of us as believers needs to have a personal understanding of God, his deeds, greatness, love, and power. Our God is great, supreme, and sovereign. He cannot be compared to any other God. David understood God to be Holy, worthy of trust, merciful, good, ready to forgive and compassionate. His understanding of God made him realize that God is not in the same class whatsoever as other gods. The psalmist asked God to teach him His way because an understanding of His way will enable him to walk in the right path and serve Him better.

An understanding of God’s greatness will help you to reverence, serve, and worship Him rightly. You will face life with a confidence that can only be gotten from a place of knowledge. Nobody in heaven or on earth can be compared to Him. He is the great One who rules over all both visible and invisible. Everyone and everything derives from Him because He is the ultimate source. If you keep this knowledge at the centre of your heart, fear will be defeated and faith will rise from your inside. Do you appreciate the greatness of God? How does the greatness of God impact your life?

Prayer

I acknowledge Your greatness, Lord. May this knowledge impact every area of my life. Amen. 

THE CITY OF GOD

 Psalms 87:1-7 

And of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her; and the Most High Himself shall establish her.” Psalm 87:5

The city of Jerusalem is blessed with neither economic nor topographic virtues. It possesses no mineral riches nor does it enjoy any of the physical features that favoured the advancement and prosperity of other important cities in the world. The city’s blessedness can only be described as an act of God. The glories of the city of God are not the handiwork of man so that God alone will take the glory.

The Church is a type of Jerusalem today whose existence and prosperity can only be attributed to God considering the many oppositions it has faced. Everything about the church that has stood the test of time has been borne by the Spirit for without Him nothing can be done. Today, Jesus Christ builds His church just as the Lord vowed to do about Jerusalem, “the Most High Himself shall establish her.” The Church is the city of God set upon a hill and it cannot be hidden. It reflects the light and glory of the the Most High to the world. The foundation of the Church is Jesus Christ just as Jerusalem’s foundation is in the Holy mountains. Just as the Lord is said to have a register of Jerusalem’s citizens and know those born there, so does He have the records of those born again through believing and receiving Christ. The important questions for you today are: “Is your name in God’s register of those who are born again? Are you a citizen of God’s City (Church)?

Prayer

Lord, praise and glory belong to You alone for the establishment of Your Church. Your name will be exalted, the Church will keep thriving and sinners will become born-again saints. Amen.