Daily Devotional for Tuesday, October 1

Afflicted,But Full of Trust

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily. For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth. My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread,” Psalm 102:1-4.

Christians do not grieve as the hopeless world grieves. But we still grieve. Every believer will face heartache in this life, of this we can be certain. But we have a blessed assurance that we are not alone and that each trial we face has an eternal purpose. God’s Word tells us that every single pain we endure is mingled with the perfecting purpose of our loving Creator who is working everything for our good and His glory.

The psalmist declares that he is so afflicted emotionally that he forgets to eat. This is certainly an extremely deep grief, yet not one that is unfamiliar to many Christians. Good and faithful Christians have been wearied by chronic illness, rebellious children, death, divorce, anxiety, depression and much more. Many of the readers will identify with the psalmist as they recall their own sorrows that left their bones groaning in pain.

Yet, there is something uniquely beautiful when a believer retells the stories of those seasons in their life. It is the beauty of a present and loving Creator who is acquainted with our sorrows and hears the deep groanings of our afflicted soul. It is the beauty of how an eternally purposeful God allows us to walk through painful seasons so that He can reveal Himself to us in a manner that a perfectly smooth life would never reveal.

DAILY REMINDER
Every sorrow that you face is a chance for you to renew your trust in your loving Heavenly Father.

Steven Ridings