The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 3 January 2024 – Be Sincere With God
TOPIC: Be Sincere With God
READ: Psalm 10:1-18 (KJV)
1 Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?
2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.
4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
5 His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.
10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
12 Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.
13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
14 Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
16 The Lord is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
17 Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.
THE MESSAGE:
When Jeremiah said to God: “O LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed, I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me” (Jeremiah 20:7), I thought he had gone too far. And I was surprised that God did not kill him, though He eventually corrected him. Throughout Scripture, saints that have gone before us found times and occasions to be very sincere with God. The Psalmist was troubled that God seemed to be standing far away from him; he could not understand why God would ‘hide’ Himself in his time of trouble. At one point or the other, we may be in situations where it seems God is so far away, particularly in great troubling times or time of extreme lack or sickness. At such points, it may seem God does not care. But it is never true; God never abandons His own.
Whenever you’re in such situation, remember the answer for the Psalmist in verse 14, “But you do see.” God sees; He hears. He is never unaware of your real situation; He is never uncaring about what you are going through. His timings are not necessarily ours, so it would sometimes seem He is late. But He is never late. Again, we learn from the same verse that He is the helper of the fatherless. He is ever willing to aid you, ever willing to help you, even willing to carry you when your own strength fails. You can sincerely tell Him how you feel and watch Him come through for you.