Trust In His Unfailing Love

My SOAP devotional for May 20th

S - Psalm 13
1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

O - In this Psalm David the author is not afraid to pour out his anguish at the Lord's feet. He asks "how long" 4 times in the first 2 verses. We see the depth of his distress and yet as he prays we see him regain his hope in the Lord. David finds strength in prayer and a focus on the "big picture." David was impatient and yet he trusted that God would carry out His plans for David's life, in spite of his perceptions in the here and now...the struggles that David faced with his enemies.

A - This is so my life right now. The enemy would have me believe that I have enemies here on earth. At times it seems that I have been defeated and that the Lord is not acting on my behalf like I would like Him to. I find myself falling into that trap of wondering where God is at work in my life???? And yet at the same time, I know I can pray and bring my burdens to God's feet. I am hopeful and confident that He hears me when I cry out to Him. In my despair He reminds me that He is holding me up. And I have peace to focus on the promise that He has a plan and purpose for my life.

P - This is my prayer Lord Jesus. That I would simply trust in you. That I would sing praise, even in the midst of feeling overwhelmed and overburdened, because you are so good to me. I see your blessings and I give you praise. In the words of "Johnny Appleseed": The Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord, for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the apple seed. The Lord is good to me! Amen.