Feb 19 2022

I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

In this short verse from Psalms, we get a tender reminder of how the Lord sustains us in every circumstance. When David wrote it, he was fleeing from his son Absalom, who was threatening to kill him. If he had a fitful night of sleep, none of us would wonder why. But that was not the case for David. He slept knowing the Lord would sustain him, and indeed the Lord did.

As Christians, each of us is under the watchful eye of the Lord. This does not mean nothing bad will ever happen to us, of course. What it means is that regardless of what happens, we can rest in the Lord and know that He will never leave us. Nothing can happen that is outside of God's will. And because He is good, everything that happens is ultimately an exercise of the Lord's goodness to us. This is a hard truth because the Lord's goodness does not always look like what we'd expect or hope, but, nonetheless, it sustains us in all circumstances.

Sometimes the greatest act of faith is to simply lie down and sleep. When we make the decision to rest even if we don't know how a specific circumstance or event will play out, we're exercising faith in the Lord and confidence that He is good. We're showing that our hope is in God and that such hope is enough for each of us.

When we wake up in the morning, we should thank the Lord for sustaining us throughout the night. These common mercies, as minister and Bible commentator Matthew Henry referred to them, remind us of the Lord's continued faithfulness. When we learn to thank Him for the many little things He does for us, we will begin to see how dependent on Him we already are. And, upon recognizing our great level of dependence on Him, we will be able to trust in His goodness in the big things even to the point of David sleeping after fleeing the son who wanted him dead.

Dear Lord, I thank you for all of the ways that you sustain me. I am dependent on you for much more than I realize, and I want to learn to truly rest in your faithfulness. Thank you for sustaining me every day of my life. Open my eyes to the many ways you already show me mercy. In Jesus' name, amen.

Feb 18 2022

For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. :

In this verse, the writer of Hebrews encourages us to press on confidently in the Lord. After we have done the work that He has called us to do, it might take time before we reap the benefits or see Him move as we hope. Today, we'll look at this verse in detail to understand what it is saying and how it affects the way we live.

It is helpful to know the context of this verse to understand its meaning. The writer was talking to persecuted Jewish Christians, reminding them of their own great suffering. Their response to this suffering had been to accept it with joy because they had confidence in the Lord's faithfulness. The writer reminds them not to lose confidence in God because they will be rewarded. After they have endured and done the will of God, they will receive the promise.

It can be difficult to endure in the Lord. It's hard to accept persecution and trials over and over again. It's tough to keep pressing into the Lord when you're in a culture that hates God, and sometimes the costs of the Christian life seem greater than the rewards. But Hebrews makes it clear: it is worth it. Doing the will of the Lord, especially amidst suffering, is always worth it.

It is worth it because the Lord is faithful. He will not forget what we have decided to give up in order to honor Him. He will often not give the reward immediately, so patience and endurance are necessary. The wait time between sowing the seed and the harvest can stretch on for a very long time years, decades, or even into another life.

And yet it is worth it because all the Lord's promises are true. He has already given us more than the Christian life will ever cost us, and we are not even on the other side of Heaven yet! Remember this when suffering hits and endure and abide in the Lord.

Father, I thank you for helping me endure suffering. Help me to wait patiently in your name during the time between obedience and reaping. Help me remember that you are the greatest reward—that nothing compares to truly resting in you always. I love you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.


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