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Daily Devotion: Psalm 118:5-9

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Psalm 117:1  O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. 
Psalm 118:1  O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 118:5-9    "I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.  (6)  The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?  (7)  The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.  (8)  It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.  (9)  It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes."

I begin today's writing a little differently than usual.  I encourage each of us to pay close attention to the verses that I placed at the beginning. There are some very beautiful principles that are laid out in these verses that will be a source of encouragement as well as strength to our souls. Those principles are praise, thanks, prayer, confidence, and trust. There is a sense of peace even with surface thoughts of those words when you realize they are connected to the Lord God Almighty, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He Who placed and holds the stars in the heavens is "on my side". Isn't that a wonderful thought? Back Psalm 56, we saw the Lord is "for me". (Psalm 56:9)

He is for me and He is on my side; therefore, I will praise Him for His merciful love. I will thank Him for blessing me with His Holy Presence. I will pray to Him in praise, thanksgiving, and making my requests known. I will have confidence that indeed He is able and has wisdom to help me in all my situations. And I will trust Him to guide me with proper direction for my life.  It is better to trust the Lord than to place confidence in man. It is better to trust the Lord than to place confidence even in the leaders of me, who are human themselves. Why is that?  Have you ever worked for a place that constantly was sending out memos which contained a change of action?  I used to work for a place and I could not keep up with all the changes that took place. My memo notebook was a mess because I finally got to the point where I would just place the memos inside the cover without replacing the old because I knew that new instructions would change that new memo within a few weeks.

I praise the Lord. I thank the Lord. I will seek the Lord. I will have confidence in the Lord. I will trust Him, if for no other reason, He never changes!   He remains the same every time I go to Him.  That gives me stability in life.  Are you looking for stability and the peace that accompanies it?  May I suggest my Lord to you?  He's Great! 

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