Daily Devotion - August 5, 2025

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21)

If you were in deep in debt for ten million dollars and someone wrote you a check for the full amount, you would be thrilled but not out of the woods.

After all, even after your debt was relieved, with no other funds added, you would still have an empty balance in your bank account. That’s the way lots of Christians feel, when they only consider half of the gospel.

The first half of the gospel promises that the debt of our sin was fully paid when Jesus died on the cross. He became sin for us, taking the penalty for our sins on himself. That’s great, but we can still feel guilty that our sin caused his suffering, and there is another problem: you and I continue to sin. 

God’s standard for yesterday, today, and tomorrow is, “Be holy, for I am holy.” That means every day that we are not perfect, we accumulate new debt. And, even if Jesus cancels that, we still only have zeros to our name in our spiritual account.  

 That’s why we need the second half of the gospel. Jesus not only paid for our sin, he provides his righteousness for us. Paul writes that Jesus provided so that “in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus gives what God requires, making us rich in his righteousness even as he forgives our debt.  

Praise God that you’re debt is paid and your spiritual bank account is overflowing with grace.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for both halves of the gospel: for paying my debt in full and for providing Jesus’ righteousness in abundance. I need both. I praise you for such rich grace.

Daily Devotion - August 4, 2025

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)

The Jefferson Barracks Memorial Bridge, which crosses the Mississippi River, reflects an architectural design called a tied arch. It’s a series of cables suspended from a massive arch that supports the bridge’s roadbed. 

For the bridge to support the intended load, the cables must have a specific tension. To test that, each cable is plucked like a huge harp string to see if it has the proper resonance. Whether the bridge will hold is revealed by the tone the cable emits.

In a similar way, God’s hold on us is revealed by the tone of our hearts. When our hearts are tuned to God’s heart they resonate with his love for others. 

Sometimes those heart strings are plucked harshly or unkindly by the actions of others, but the Christian heart reverberating with humble gratitude for Christ’s mercy still resonates with his grace. 

A heart tied to God’s heart resonates with his love; a heart that does not cannot claim to know God. That may sound harsh, but God loves us enough to give the warning sounds of spiritual danger. If loveless tones have come from you recently, tether your heart again to the forgiving heart of Jesus.

Prayer: Father, I pray that my heart will resonate with love and gratitude for what you have done for me in Christ. Help me to love when it is difficult, confirming Christ in me.

Daily Devotion - August 1, 2025

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever. (Daniel 4:34)

We love to hear a dramatic testimony. We delight in stories of radical change in people like the Apostle Paul, who turned from persecuting Christians to building the early Church!

Such stories are woven throughout Scripture because we keep wondering if God can work so powerfully and personally. Sometimes the unlikeliest persons are chosen to make clear that God can work precisely this way for people without any other hope. 

We would have trouble identifying anyone more wicked that Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar. He was a ruthless idolator, enslaver, and murderer. Yet, he ended up praising the God of the people of Israel that he had so cruelly enslaved and persecuted. 

This king may be unique in his wickedness but not in his path to God. There is no way that this wicked man could have compensated for his sins to claim God’s love. So how did he come to God?

When he was absolutely incapable of helping himself, he did not point to his achievements, or look down on anyone else to compare his goodness. Instead, he looked up to heaven for God’s help.

God blessed the humility of a man who possessed no good in himself. That’s gospel gold!  God made a pagan king a member of heaven’s family by grace alone. We, too, become members of God’s family by faith in his grace alone.

Look up to the One who sent Jesus down to you. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for enabling me to be a member of your family – not because of anything I’ve done but solely by your grace. May humility be my path to you. 

Daily Devotion - July 31, 2025

The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. (2 Tim. 2:24)

The world is filled with opinions, and social media has expanded the opportunities for many persons to express theirs without boundaries or fears about facing those their words buffet. 

A lot of anger and criticism is aimed at Christians for beliefs that are rooted in God’s Word. But we, too, often join in the fray, justifying blunt and cutting words by the supposed sin or faithlessness of those on the receiving end of our critiques.

Some may argue that Christian obligations to act lovingly only apply to brothers and sisters in Christ. They may also point to inspired prophets who spoke to enemies of God with sharp-tongued zeal. 

It is important for us to remember that speaking for God should humble us before we seek to humble others. An inspired apostle did not limit speaking Christianly to Christians. Paul commanded those who would serve the church to be kind to everyone and not to be quarrelsome or resentful with anyone. 

We may quickly object that’s not the way others are treating us, but that is the point. The Christian community should display the alternative society the world cannot know apart from Christ. If we only echo the world, the message of grace cannot be heard.  

Jesus could certainly speak with boldness, but his goal was to make the gospel plain. God’s truth without his gracious intent is not his will. 

Prayer: Lord, teach me to consider your love for persons with whom I disagree so that I will show the love and respect that make your grace known to all who need it.  

Daily Devotion - July 30, 2025

God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)

In a hospital room, I faced a father whose son’s life hung in the balance due to a freak accident. Through his tears, this father confided, “I know what is going on. God is punishing my son for my sin.”

I was shocked. Standing before me was a wonderful man of faith, who, during a moment of hardship could only think of God as an ogre in the sky, demanding a pound of flesh for some past error.

I had no idea how to answer, but somehow the Holy Spirit supplied words: “God is not putting the penalty of your sin on your son, because he has already put the penalty of your sin on his Son.” 

I still wonder how the Spirit planted those words in the panic of my thought, but they have since helped me in times of my own hardship. When I am tempted to think God is getting back at me for my sins, I remember that he completely poured out his wrath on his Son so that I would have his mercy.  

God is good all the time because his Son took all the punishment we deserve. When you believe that, God has promised your salvation not your condemnation.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for allowing your only Son to pay the penalty for my sin. When I’m tempted to doubt your care, remind me you gave Jesus for me so that my sins will not ever condemn me or my loved ones.

Daily Devotion - July 29, 2025

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself. (2 Cor. 5:17)

The Apostle Paul says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” That doesn’t mean all believers suddenly have the body of a pro athlete or the mind of a prophet. The changes are in our spiritual nature. 

Before we were united to Christ, we had no ability to live a righteous life for God. Even nice things we did that seemed good to others and to us were not done to please God. We were living for ourselves – for our pleasure, or others’ approval, or to compensate for something in us. That self-focus was the core of our old nature! 

But through Christ, our nature was changed. Our sins were forgiven, and we were also made able to live for Christ and those he loves. In fact, that became our heart’s deepest desire. We don’t always express that desire well – our sin nature still influences us. But, for the first time in our lives, we have the desire and ability to live for God – that’s our new nature.

Because of Christ’s mercy and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we have Christ’s pardon from past sin and spiritual power to resist more sin! We are not perfect yet, but we are no longer controlled by sin.

Now that we are new creations, we realize that God’s grace is not our license to sin but Christ’s release from its guilt and power!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, today help my words and actions to demonstrate that I am a new creation. Cleanse me from the guilt of my sin and then, may gratitude for your mercy compel me to act on the power you have granted me to resist sin.

Daily Devotion - July 28, 2025

One will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:7-8)

Early in ministry the Lord blessed me through the powerful testimony of the believing parents of a young woman killed by a drunken driver. I tremble still to remember accompanying police officers to their home to tell them of the loss of their only child.

Their grief was profound. In many ways I felt useless for the task of helping them. Yet, because the Lord had filled them with his Word, they grieved as those who had the confident hope of their daughter’s eternity and their family’s reunion in heaven.

Their faith was as profoundly displayed as their grief, when they crossed paths in a drugstore with the young man, awaiting trial, who had killed their daughter. Said the parents to the one who had done such damage to their family, “Trust in Jesus, and he will forgive all your sins.”

How they said this was the work of the Spirit of God – the Spirit sent to testify of Jesus. These dear parents spoke as the Spirit’s witnesses of the One who died for us while we were still sinners. Their testimony was his truth for all who trust Jesus.

Do not believe that your sin is greater than God’s grace. Jesus died to reconcile his enemies to God. His grace is greater than the greatest sin of the greatest sinner. Trust this Jesus!  

Prayer: Jesus, when I doubt that you could love someone like me, remind me that you died for sinners just like me. Help me trust that your grace is greater than my sin. 

Daily Devotion - July 25, 2025

It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Pet. 1:18-19 NIV)

Have you ever wanted a special, big-ticket item? Maybe you saved and saved until you had the full amount needed to make you the purchase.

That’s a bit like what God has done for you. He long ago established a plan to redeem you from sinful humanity, building the means of salvation from ancient times until he would purchase your souls for heaven by the precious blood of his own Son! 

Your redemption was not settled with the exchange of precious resources of this earth. No one can buy a place in heaven. Instead, God established a purchase plan that was secured by a binding covenant declared at the dawn of humanity. The covenant was made for us but fulfilled by Christ’s perfect sacrifice. 

Those who rely on his provision have their sins fully paid for. Any other claim on the blessings of God’s covenant is an empty sham of religious ritual or personal conceit. 

Only by trusting that Jesus purchased heaven’s blessings for us by his sacrifice can we claim redemption from a sinful past and a home in heaven forever. When we trust this purchase plan, God declares our salvation “Fully paid.” 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for redeeming me from empty efforts to save myself by providing for your covenant love to be secured by Christ’s blood and to be claimed by faith alone!

Daily Devotion - July 24, 2025

I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do…. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why even the hairs of you hear are numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Luke 12:4-7)

No matter what’s happening in your life, God assures you that he knows and is in charge of every detail. That truth was dramatically proven to a woman named Ashley Smith one dark night.

Ashley’s drug-damaged life was spiraling when Brian Nichols broke into her apartment. He had just killed four people and was running from the police. 

As Brian hid, waiting for the inevitable shootout that would end his life, these two desperate people “chanced” into a conversation about why each was there. They miraculously concluded that God must have a purpose for them. 

God’s truth in the midst of the crisis led to Brian turning himself over to police and to Ashley turning away from drugs. 

Ashley now believes that God caused her and Brian’s paths to intersect. Their encounter not only turned her away from drugs but back to God. Then, God used Ashley to turn Brian to Christ, enabling his reception of eternal forgiveness despite the extreme measure of his sin. Prison will not bar him from heaven.

 Ashley and Brian remind us that God can use anyone, anytime, anywhere to deliver the limitless measures of his grace! Our circumstances are never too small, or too bad, or too desperate for God. 

Prayer: Lord, please help me to believe that you have all the details and my care in your loving control, so that I will trust you and turn to you no matter what.

Daily Devotion - July 23, 2025

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Pet. 2:9)

Our world – even the church – has become celebrity crazy – we follow the actions, antics, and failings of the famous, constantly measuring if their performance still makes them worthy of our attention. 

The consequence is not only measuring their worth by their ability to please us – we tend to look at our family, friends, co-workers, and selves the same way. The question that plagues us all: “So, what have you done lately?” 

Even if we had wonderful beginnings, and early accolades, the pressure to maintain appreciation and adulation becomes crushing. We compare our appearances, our achievements, and our families’ Facebook posts, constantly feeling pressed to stay acceptable. What can release the pressure?

As Christians, we have the privilege of embracing a new, unchanging, and precious status that identifies us as God’s beloved, based not on what we’ve done but on what Jesus Christ has done for us!

When we come to Christ by faith, we become children of God – adopted into his family forever. With this unchanging status, we’re not always looking for somebody’s spotlight on our performance. We have been called into the marvelous light of God’s eternal love. And, if the Creator of the universe loves you, you must really be something!

Prayer: Father, help me to view myself through your eyes, relishing the marvelous status you have given me in Christ. May I not be driven by what others think of me but by my love for the One who has made me eternally precious to you. 

Daily Devotion - July 22, 2025

Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. (Rom. 4:7) 

We have friends who adopted a child from another nation. When they went to the orphanage, they found the child wrapped in red, which in that culture was a sign of favor and love. 

The red cloth signified that although she had been given up by an unknown biological mother, the child was loved. Yet, as these new parents moved the cloth covering the child’s face, they discovered a facial feature that was unacceptable in that culture. That red cloth represented love, but it had also been used to hide a flaw that would cause rejection. 

You and I are children with an even more compassionate covering. God covered our sinful flaws with the blood of Jesus in order to adopt us as his own. Our guilt and shame are forever hidden by Jesus’ love poured out on the cross for all who put their faith in his grace. 

We do not have to project a flawless face to God to know his love; rather, we can trust him to cover all our flaws with his perfect grace to make us his children forever. 

Prayer: Father, thank you for covering my sin with Christ’s blood so that I might know the love and favor that secures me in your family forever. May this grace keep me loving you.

Daily Devotion - July 21, 2025

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Rom. 8:28)

This astounding promise of God can sometimes become the worst of Christian two-by-four clubs. Those insensitive to others’ pain, can insist it provide an instantaneous end to discouragement or grief:

“You have lost a job?” Don’t worry. God will work it for good.”

“You have lost a spouse? Don’t grieve. He is in a better place.”

“You are in a crises? Don’t fear. God’s got it all under control.”

 As true as the statements may be, such blunt bashing with God’s truth does not reflect the care of the apostle’s words. He never says all things “feel” good – or seem fair or right. He says that God will “work” all things together for good. There is a process in God’s plans that should allow us to work through grief, pain, and questions. 

We work through such difficulties with the assurance that God will never leave or forsake us, nor allow our circumstances to overwhelm his eternal plans. Such grace does not forbid our tears but gives us time to clear them from our eyes. In that space, we can look forward with faith in God’s hand and look backward to the cross for reassurance of his heart.

Yes, everything in creation is being bent toward your eternal good by a sovereign God. That is a powerful truth – so powerful we should handle it with the care God intends.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for assurance that pain and grief undo your purposes. Help me understand how to share the truth of your sovereign hand with the tenderness of my Savior’s heart.  

Daily Devotion - July 18, 2025

You will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
(Jer. 29:12-13)

In 2014, French atheist turned evangelical theologian, Guillaume Bignon, shared how the light of God’s grace penetrated the dark places of his soul.  

Bignon’s journey began after a whirlwind romance with a girl. Because the girl was a Christian and did not want a deep relationship with someone who did not share her love for Jesus, Bignon began to explore her faith.  

He read the Bible to learn about her beliefs. He discovered that the accounts about Jesus were impressive, but Bignon remained unsure. Then, he thought, I’m a scientist; there’s an experiment I can carry out to test the truth of Jesus. I’ll pray and ask God, “If you’re real, reveal yourself to me.” And God did in a special way! 

Here’s how: Consideration of Jesus’ character revealed to Bignon that his real motive for reading the Bible was to have an affair with the girl. He was willing to sacrifice her faith to satisfy his lust – and that was an evil in Bignon that he had never before faced. Such sin in him revealed not only the truth of why Jesus came but also Bignon’s need of him!

If God has revealed your sin to you, believe that his purpose is to show you the truth of your need and your Savior. Call out to the Lord today and ask him to cover you with the grace that has revealed your sin and your Savior!

Prayer: Lord, I ask you to reveal yourself to me more and more each day. I am willing to ask, knowing that the more you show yourself, the more sin I will see in me. But the more I see my sin, the more I will cherish Christ’s cross. Where sin increases, grace will increase all the more. Praise God!

Daily Devotion - July 17, 2025

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and . . .the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph. 6:14,17)

Spiritual warfare is real. We can make two mistakes concerning its nature. The first is to ignore its reality; the second is to exaggerate its power. 

We are ill-equipped to engage struggles against wickedness and injustice without recognizing that evil truly affects our material world. The Apostle Paul said, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). 

The world available to our physical senses is not the only reality. Spiritual forces are vying for power and influence in every area of our lives. That understanding, however, can twist our perceptions into imagining ghouls behind every bush. Satan is not as silly as that, nor is his influence so pervasive. 

Our Sovereign God yet rules this world, restraining and conquering evil to accomplish his will. We should never doubt his influence or fail to engage it. Already we have an Advocate with the Heavenly Father who has equipped us with the armor and weapons needed for spiritual victory.

The battles may be intense, but we have God’s truth, Christ’s righteousness, and the Spirit’s Word for every fight. Claim them, cling to them, and use them. God will grant the victory of eternity’s purposes. The battle belongs to the Lord, so stand firm with him!

Prayer: Lord, remind me to call upon you in my time of need so that I will face spiritual reality with spiritual weaponry and prevail in your strength. 

Daily Devotion - July 16, 2025

The righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.
(Psalm 112:6)

Elaine Pereira is author of I Will Never Forget, a story about a woman caring for her aging mother through the stages of dementia. The way Pereira describes her mother’s deterioration is not noble or sentimental. The loss of memory creates many embarrassments. 

Yet, as the story unfolds, we ultimately understand that the mother’s dignity is restored, not by a return of her memory but by her daughter’s memories. Pereira remembers her mother for who she was – and still is – a beloved person made in the image of God.

In an even more profound way, God maintains our dignity and preciousness to him by remembering his provision for us. Even when our lives are not as they should be, God treats us with the dignity and care that is reserved for his beloved.

The One who covers our sin with his blood, also covers our shame with his righteousness. The consequence is that God remembers that we are his precious children. The world, our country, our community, even our family may forget us. God will not. He will always say, “You are mine and precious to me. I remember you!” 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that you will not forget me. May the dignity of the memory you maintain for me also stir me to see others through your memory of them.

Daily Devotion - July 15, 2025

I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:37-39)

The Apostle Paul provides a wonderfully long list of things that will never be able to separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord.

However, some readers fear that there is something missing from that list – sin. Should that worry us? No. We should realize that while it’s true sin is not mentioned in Paul’s list, he has just finished telling us that God will work all things together for the good of those who love him. 

If God knew that there was something in your path – life or death, things present or things to come, evil powers, or anything in creation – that would separate you from Christ, then his perfect plan for you would require him to take you to heaven before that spiritual calamity hit you. He would have to do this in order to work all things for your eternal good. 

God will not allow anything in your life that would cause your separation from his heart. He will not allow you to proceed into sin or unbelief that would destroy his love. That’s why there is nothing that can separate us from him, not even our sin. 

So, when there is sin or failure in your life, do not fear to seek the Savior who has bound himself to you with love that nothing can sever. If it could, he would already have taken you to himself.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you give me great comfort and hope by promising that nothing can separate me from your love. May that inseparable love make me run to you when I need to repent and run for you in the race to represent Jesus.  

Daily Devotion - July 14, 2025

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:17-19 NIV)

My family enjoys vacationing at a remote cabin. As we prepare to vacate the cabin for winter, we drain all the plumbing. We open valves, releasing all the water to keep pipes from bursting in the coming freeze. 

 In the springtime, we reverse the process, closing valves and turning back on the water. But, there is one valve we leave open until new water fills the system: the valve at the top of the hot-water tank. 

We allow the incoming water to drive out the air in the tank that would otherwise keep it from fulfilling its purpose. 

Similarly, when love for Christ fills our hearts, it drives out the love for sin that is the air in which temptations thrive. What fills our hearts with such love for Christ? Grasping how wide and long and high and deep is his love for us. 

Prayer: Father, help me to grasp the greatness of Christ’s love for me so that I will be filled with the love for him that is power for resisting sin.

Daily Devotion - July 11, 2025

My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. (Prov. 3:11-12)

We may create some shock by asserting, “The Lord will never punish his children,” but that is actually the truth. We understand this truth when we see how God’s Word distinguishes discipline and punishment. 

Punishment is designed to inflict a penalty in response for a wrong. God will not punish his children because the penalty for all our past, present, and future sin was placed on Jesus. Jesus paid it all! 

Discipline is a different matter. The goal of discipline is not to inflict a penalty but to promote maturity. Punishment and discipline may feel similar (both hurt) but their goal is very different. Punishment imposes harm for past misdeeds, but discipline intends help for future blessing.

Punishment is for criminals. Discipline is for children. Punishment follows condemnation. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 

Punishment is for those whom society disapproves. Discipline is for those in whom God delights. Punishment is administered with a scowl. Discipline is administered with tears. Punishment pours out wrath for a wrong. God’s discipline comes out of the heart of a Father.

So, even when we are in the throes of the worst discipline heaven can bring, we are loved no less. God only disciplines those he loves to turn us from sin and to him. Let God’s discipline turn you to the One who loves you enough to harm himself to help you.       

Prayer: Father, thank you for the love that disciplines me, so that I turn from the harm of sin and receive the blessings of my Savior. Help my heart to receive this love as you intend.

Daily Devotion - July 10, 2025

The share of the one who goes into battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies. They will share equally.
(1 Sam. 30:24 CSV)

Janette Alexander, wife of the great 19th-century theologian Archibald Alexander, was treasured by her family for her scriptural insights. 

Although she lacked the formal training of her husband, her son – who also became a famous Bible teacher – often sought her insights. He said his mother’s heart, tuned by walking closely with God, granted understanding worth more than all the commentaries in the world.

In this wonderful compliment, we can glimpse God’s perfect perspective that treasures every person according to his purposes. Jannette Alexander was not a seminary professor. But as a wife and mother, she steadied and deepened the faith all family members would need to fulfill God’s plan for their lives that would touch millions. 

The world may only recognize the gifts of “a Billy Graham,” or “a Charles Spurgeon,” or “a John Knox,” but we should understand the honor due the mother, or Sunday school teacher, or camp counselor who nurtured faith in such a person.

Because our lives are so interwoven in God’s divine plan, one who enables another to fight for God is just as important as the one on the battlefield – both are needed for the battle. God uses and treasures both!

Prayer: Lord, help me to serve you with the gifts you have given by believing you treasure my role in your plan. Weave my gifts into the tapestry of your purpose to build up those who are needed for your battles.

Daily Devotion - July 9, 2025

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. (Psalm 27:1-2)

We all face life crises. They may large scale: the result of misguided governments, natural disasters, or even terrorists. Or, they may be very personal: a health scare, a financial hurdle, a career setback, or a difficult relationship. Whatever your circumstances today, remember that God’s purposes for you cannot fail. 

David’s psalm reminds us of that truth with an image all Israel would know. Their “stronghold” was a mountain of rock with steep sides, but also with a level top where God’s people could live in safety. More than once David fled to such a stronghold to find safety from his enemies.

  But what gave David greater confidence than the natural fortress to which he could flee was the supernatural Savior who was always with him. David did not have to flee to find this safety because he knew that this fortress was never far away. Wherever he was and whatever he faced, David was always in the stronghold of God’s protection. 

Crises would still come and enemies would still threaten, but David knew he did not need to be afraid that they could ever overcome God’s purposes for his life. The same is true for us because the same God is for us. You and I can say, “The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I need you in my own crises. Help me to trust that you are my stronghold, that I am eternally secure in your care, and that your purposes cannot fail for me, so that I am not afraid.