I remember when I was around twelve years old, my mom told me that I was old enough to start having daily devotions. So I went into my dad’s office to look for a devotional book. I remember the one I selected. It talked about the Trinity. And that’s how I became more familiar with the roles of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. After that, I started making a habit of reading my Bible every day.
Through the years, I would use select devotional books and other devotional guides. But for the past five years, I have read the Bible through each year. For a couple of years, I read through the Bible Recap. Then for the next two years, I read through two different chronological Bibles. For the past year, I followed a chronological guide on the Bible reading app.
I decided that for this year I needed to try a different approach to my devotions. I love reading through the Bible chronologically each year, but I wanted to slow the pace and focus on fewer passages of Scripture. I’m doing a study called Christ in all of Scripture. I’ve only finished three weeks of the study, but it definitely slows me down to read the same select Scripture all week long.
The study this week focused on the first chapter of Genesis. Since I’ve read the story of creation multiple times, I knew what to expect. It tells how God created the earth and everything on it in six days. And at the end of each day, he looked at what he created and saw that it was good. He liked what he had created. It was all still in its purest form, like a newborn babe. Then he made man to rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the wild animals of the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground. At the end of the sixth day, he looked at the man of his creation and saw that it was very good. Man wasn’t just good. He was very good.
It got me to thinking that since God saw that all of his creation was good, it’s a reminder that He too is good all the time. Even when times of discouragement and dread overtake us, God is still good. Our circumstances don’t dictate the goodness of God. Our situations can change unexpectedly, but that doesn’t mean that God changes. He is always consistent and his ways are higher than our ways. For this I am thankful. He is the author of life, and he dictates when it begins and ends.
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:8
Can we still praise God when our world has turned upside down? We might ask what’s there to give praise for when our whole world has collapsed. It’s easy to say that God is good all the time when times are good. But when times of trouble come our way, why do we suddenly question him? Why does doubt suddenly creep in? Has God changed? No. Our circumstances have. And yes. God is the author of life. He’s the giver and taker of life. He knows everything about us and what’s ahead before we do. He knows when we fail him and when we doubt him. His love for us never changes. Regardless of what we’re facing, God is with us.
We may think that God is not present in our lives when trouble comes our way. But does the sun fail to exist when it’s covered by clouds? Just because the sun isn’t shining doesn’t means there’s no sun. Does the moon die every day when daylight hits the skies? No. And God still exists and sees us even when he’s silent in the middle of our need.
When we’re going through a difficulty, it might be time to ask what we can learn from the situation instead of how to get out of it. Instead of focusing on ourselves and what we want, we need to shift our mindset to making sure we’re pleasing God with our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. The situation may not change. Even if it does, it may not be in our complete favor. But God is still good, and he’s still in control. He surrounds us with his presence. He is our hiding place. Let’s run to him instead of to something else that numbs our heart and mind.
God goes before us and he walks behind us. He hovers over us and encircles us with his presence. God is our ever present help in times of trouble.
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5
He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. Deuteronomy 32:10
You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah Psalm 32:7
Thank you for your faithfulness, Father. In the middle of trouble. In the storm of uncertainty. Lord, you’re the one thing we count on. Every day your faithfulness carries us through. ~Brian Doerksen
Mercy for the Day 