Our Daily Bread: Picking Up the Pieces After Job Loss Day 18

Psalm 13

 

1 HOW LONG will You forget me, O Lord? Forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?

2 How long must I lay up cares within me and have sorrow in my heart day after day? How long shall my enemy exalt himself over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; lighten the eyes [of my faith to behold Your face in the pitchlike darkness], lest I sleep the sleep of death,

4 Lest my enemy say, I have prevailed over him, and those that trouble me rejoice when I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted, leaned on, and been confident in Your mercy and loving-kindness; my heart shall rejoice and be in high spirits in Your salvation.

6 I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.

 

Devotional

POSTCARD CHRISTIANITY: When my husband and I visited Mt. Rainier, one of the highest peaks in the continental United States, I expected to see some spectacular sights. But for 2 days the mountain remained shrouded in clouds. So instead of taking pictures, I bought postcards. Our vacation caused me to question the way I portray my faith to people around me. Do I resent a "postcard" view of Christianity? Do I give the false impression that my life is always sunny; that my view of God is always clear?
That's not what David did. In the passion-filled poetry of Psalm 13, he admitted he couldn't see God and didn't understand what He was doing (v.1). But by the end of his prayer, he was certain that what he couldn't see was nevertheless there because he had seen it before in God's bountiful care (vv.5-6).
Christians are like people living at the foot of Mt. Rainier. They've seen the mountain before, so they know it exists even when clouds are covering it. When suffering or confusion obscures our view of God, we can be honest with others about our doubts. But we can also express our confidence that the Lord is still there by recalling times we've witnessed His grandeur and goodness. That's better than postcard Christianity. -Julie Ackerman Link
If you pause to think, you?ll have cause to thank.