Christ Church Daily Devotion Jan 13 2024

The Daily Devotion on January 13th, 2024, focused on Psalm 46. It reminds us that God is our refuge and strength, always there to help us in times of trouble. We should not fear even when faced with difficult situations. The psalmist also talks about a river that brings joy to the city of God and emphasizes that God is with us and will protect us. The passage mentions how nations rise and fall, but God's voice is powerful and he can bring peace. The psalmist encourages us to be still and know that God is in control. The message is about trusting God in the midst of storms and looking back at how God has brought us through difficult times in the past. We should be grateful for God's faithfulness and pray for others going through storms. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for January 13th, 2024. Today, we will be reading from Psalm 46. God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar in foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her. She will not fall. God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar. Kingdoms fall. He lifts his voice. The earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the Lord has done. The desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease. To the ends of the earth, he breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns the shields with fire. He says, Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. This is my top five of favorite psalms. The psalmist acknowledges that there are storms in life, times when the waters roar and foam and we can feel overwhelmed. Verse 10 takes me back to when we emphasized last week the need to prepare ahead of time for the storms. But it also speaks to what is best to do in the midst of the storm. I love what Eugene Peterson did with that verse in The Message translation. Step out of the traffic. Take a long, loving look at me. You're high God, above politics, above everything. To trust that God is our fortress is to believe that God will give us new life on the other side of the storms. Yes, sometimes we wonder, how am I ever going to get through this? But faith, trust means those are the very times when we reveal that we really do believe that God will see us through. Think back on storms that God has brought you through in the past and let those memories be a reminder that God will continue to carry you through whatever happens in the future. And look for those opportunities to share that good news with people all around you, reminding them of God's willingness, desire, and ability to see them through as well. Today's personal worship option. Give God thanks today for bringing you through past storms and pray for those around you who are presently going through a storm.