Daily Devotional for Sunday, May 21

The Sovereign Protection of God

“Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen,” 2 Timothy 4:17, 18.

A recently licensed pilot was flying his private plane on a cloudy day. He was not very experienced in instrument landing. When the control tower was to bring him in, he began to panic. Then a stern voice came over the radio, “You just obey instructions, we’ll take care of the obstructions.”
As Paul faithfully preached the gospel, he encountered many obstructions. Throughout the New Testament, Paul and other apostles endured persecution and hardship as they faithfully obeyed God’s instructions for their lives. In our key verses today, Paul testified of one individual who caused him much grief as he labored for the Lord. Even more discouraging, Paul was betrayed by fellow-Christians when he reached out for help. However, Paul remained faithful to God which resulted in the Word of God being published to the Gentiles.
Christian, we must follow Paul’s example to faithfully preach the gospel no matter what obstructions come our way. God has given us His instructions through His Word and through the Holy Spirit. We will face many obstructions along the way, but we must completely trust God and obey Him with every ounce of our being. Satan will send obstructions to keep us from following God’s instructions. But if we faithfully obey God, He will preserve us for His purpose and for His glory.

THOUGHT: No obstruction you face is justification for disobeying God’s instructions.

Steven Ridings