A Daily Devotion for Friday, October 3
- ontrakk
- Oct 3
- 2 min read
Psalm 94:16-23
Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
Unless the LORD had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
When I said, “My foot is slipping, ”
your unfailing love, LORD, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
Can a corrupt throne be allied with you—
a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?
The wicked band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
But the LORD has become my fortress,
and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
He will repay them for their sins
and destroy them for their wickedness;
the LORD our God will destroy them.
I had to smile a bit when I read the devotion for today. The writer had back issues, was in a lot of pain, and imaging showed significant destruction in her spine. Her anxious thoughts followed: ”I’ll need surgery. I’ll never walk again. I’ll have a permanent disability. I’ll need to stay home forever.” Sometimes Tom points out my skill for imagining the worst case scenario outcome in a situation. It is not a good habit to have. I do feel like it is sometimes Satan, sensing my anxiety, taking the opportunity to inject a negative script into my mind, instead of allowing me to turn to God, first. I am practicing, intentionally stopping the thoughts from proceeding, and reminding myself, “that has not happened, calm down.” Turning to God is the next step for me. The goal is to make it my first step, when I feel a twinge of anxiety. God is so much stronger than Satan, and has such positive and healthy plans for me. I know this is true, with all of my heart and soul.
Holy Lord, you are the strength I need, the love and support I rely on. Help me to turn to you to ease my anxiety, and help me to fight off the temptation to entertain my negative imagination. Satan is no match for you, and when I keep you close, he is no match for me! I am so thankful. Amen
Becky, transforming
Psalm 94:19.
It seems for some, anxiety leads to more anxiety. They begin looking ahead to all the awful things that might be--as if we could actually see into the future. Then there are those who immediately turn to God for help and comfort. I find myself somewhere in between the two. I do see some progress as I have gotten older.
Prayer: Gracious God, Help me to seek your comfort FIRST! AMEN
Friday, October 3rd, 2025
Dispel Anxiety
(Focus: to focus on God instead of my worries.
Psalm 94:19
When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
The more we think and talk about our problems the larger they become. Rather than meditating on the problems we can meditate on the faithfulness of God and remind ourselves there is no need to worry. I have heard many people say, I just can’t help it, I am a worrier. People often choose to worry because they do not know how to trust God. I become good at worrying because I practice it a lot. This lesson teaches me,I can become just as good at trusting God if I…
Psalm 94:16-23
“Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? . . . The wicked band together against the righteous.”
“Wicked” and “wickedness” are words rarely encountered today (except as an emphasizing adjective in New England), yet we are enveloped by wickedness. It is shot through our increasingly godless culture. The psalmist’s question remains relevant today. Who will stand against this? One person can rarely change the world, but the body of Christ, working in solidarity and truth can do just that. Standing against wickedness is made more difficult in a world in which wickedness, as described in Scripture, is mainstreamed as acceptable behavior, but that is our charge.