Daily Devotion – October 4, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison

Psalm 54
54:1 Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might.
54:2 Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
54:3 For the insolent have risen against me, the ruthless seek my life; they do not set God before them. Selah
54:4 But surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.
54:5 He will repay my enemies for their evil. In your faithfulness, put an end to them.
54:6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.
54:7 For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

Life is risky. The world is full of beauty and wonder, but it is also dangerous.

But suppose you have an edge. Suppose you are friends with the biggest, strongest kid on the playground. Suppose you are friends with the richest person in the world. Suppose you are the beloved child of the most powerful being in the universe.

Well, you are. The psalmist says so, right here in Psalm 54. The psalmist is very confident that the Lord is right there, in the midst of any trouble. Why? Because the Lord has always delivered the psalmist from every trouble.

If we are believers in this Lord God, and we know ourselves to be children of this God, whenever we get caught up in the everyday worries of life, we can set those worries down and remember God is with us. God is by our side. God has been with us through everything. God is faithful. God keeps all the promises every day. We can worry if we want to, but we can also set aside those worries and live more abundantly instead, because we are the beloved children of God, who promises to be with us no matter what.

Life is risky. The world is full of beauty and wonder, but it is also dangerous. But we have an edge. The biggest, strongest, most loving, merciful God, Creator of the Universe, is our loving parent. God will not let us down. Ever.

Gracious God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for keeping all your promises. Thank you for being our faithful parent through everything that comes our way. Thank you for embracing every human being as your beloved child, including us.   Amen.