Daily Devotion: Psalm 114:1-8

Psalm 114:1-8    "When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;  (2)  Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.  (3)  The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.  (4)  The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.  (5)  What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?  (6)  Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?  (7)  Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;  (8)  Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters."

Do you ever read something in the Bible and say, "Wow, that was incredible!" When I say that, I have to ask myself - "Just what was incredible about it? One instance that comes to mind is when Israel was trapped and suddenly the Red Sea parted. That was incredible, wasn't it? The Jordan river congealed and stood up when the feet of the priests stepped into the water. The rock split and water gushed out of it. That was an incredible event! But my thought this morning is this - Do I stop at the incredible miracle instead of going farther to see the incredible hand of God that performed that miracle? Those things happened, not because Israel was there; rather, it was because of the "presence of the God of Jacob."  We are told in verse 2, "Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion."  Israel was the vessel in which God chose to manifest His presence and power. 

 But what does this have to do with us today? Paul's desire was that we would understand the power that is at work within us. I say it was Paul's desire, but in reality he was a vessel by which God chose to reveal this design for our lives. We are told in 1 Corinthians 6:19, "... your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you." Yes, we who are bought by the blood of Jesus Christ and born of the Spirit of God are also, "His sanctuary and His dominion." When Jesus walked the face of the earth, God was with us. When He returned to the right hand of the Father, the Holy Ghost was given and now we have God IN us. By the Holy Spirit, we have "... the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead..." (Ephesians 1:19-20) Because of this great power, sin has no more dominion over us. We have the power to "... stand against the wiles of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11) My prayer today, and everyday, is that I might know and understand this wonderful power of God within me that I am able to live a victorious life in Christ Jesus. "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:57)

I heard an old, old story how a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood's atoning,
Then I repented of my sins and won the victory

Chorus
O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever!
He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him.
He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood