Articles
Doug's Weekly Devotionals 02/09/2025
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” Hebrews 4:12. Our older granddaughter who is not quite two loves her baby doll … to death! She always has to have it with her, will hug and kiss it tenderly—but then quite suddenly drop it or shove it into the microwave of her play kitchen. We shake our heads and remark that it’ll be awhile before she’s ready for a real baby. Christians can be like that as well with their Bibles, often treating their phones with more reverence, care, and time than they do the Word. Since the Scriptures are “living and active,” they should be treated as the inspired, unique, and amazing pages that “complete” the “man of God” for “every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). As it “discern[s] the thoughts and intentions of the heart,” the Bible is a two-way communication tool, accompanied by prayer, between our Creator and those made in His image. Yet, when we neglect the study of it or prayer to Him in faith, aren’t we a lot like a fickle toddler desperate for her doll one minute and then trampling it the next?
______________________________
“How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?” Psalm 79:5. As the psalmist looks out upon the rubble of his life—perhaps the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BC—he expresses the same concerns as the singers of Psalm 137 when taunted by their captors to “sing us one of the songs of Zion!” These are the same questions as Psalm 77:7-9, “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” His grief is like the lament found in Psalm 74. Not dwelling in the destruction, however, he appeals to God for a forgiveness of the nation's sins and for God’s compassion and atonement to come upon them and vengeance for their enemies to come speedily. Trust in God’s forgiveness, mercy, and grace are all we have to trust in. Surveying the mess of our lives, all we can do is throw ourselves at His feet and appeal to His goodness and love. We are under the protection and provision of a just God who knows whose are His. The real question is not “How long?” but “Are we in Him?”
