Daily Devotional for September 4, 2014

Psalm 86:1-7
Bend an ear, God; answer me.
    I’m one miserable wretch!
Keep me safe—haven’t I lived a good life?
    Help your servant—I’m depending on you!
You’re my God; have mercy on me.
    I count on you from morning to night.
Give your servant a happy life;
    I put myself in your hands!
You’re well-known as good and forgiving,
    bighearted to all who ask for help.
Pay attention, God, to my prayer;
    bend down and listen to my cry for help.
Every time I’m in trouble I call on you,
    confident that you’ll answer.

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.  Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.  All rights reserved.

Let’s be honest...every single one of us has “blown it” at least once in our lives. We’ve said or done something we should not have said or done. We’ve treated someone unfairly or unkindly. We’ve worn something that looked horrendous!  Okay...that last one is probably not in the same league as the others...but you get my point!

The point is, we are human beings...and I’ve got a news flash for you...human beings are NOT perfect!  So we mess up, make mistakes, hurt others – and ourselves – and we often look pretty foolish in the process.  In short...we are frequently like the psalmist - ”one miserable wretch” in need of a pretty hefty dose of forgiveness, grace and mercy.

Hear the GOOD NEWS...GOD is in the business of doing exactly this!  When we humbly submit ourselves to Him...when we accept His gift of salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ and earnestly strive to follow Him, God helps us stay on the right track.  He understands that occasionally we may “go off the rails” for a bit – and that’s where His grace and mercy come into play.  Our job is to know where to turn for help...to stay in close communication with God so that these “derailments” are kept to a minimum - in terms of both frequency and damage...and to do all we can to humbly seek God’s forgiveness, and to do the necessary work to make amends.

Tall order? You betcha! But operating in the protection of God’s forgiveness, grace and mercy certainly trumps a life of misery and regret in my book any day of the week!  Let’s take a good look at our lives today.  Let’s see where the wheels seem to be coming off the rails – and make every effort to get back on track.  Let’s stop and humbly ask God to forgive us – and to show us how to ask others to forgive us, where necessary.  Let’s make a concerted effort to pay better attention...to walk more closely with God and listen for His voice in all things at all times.  And let’s be sure to thank Him for taking pity on such “miserable wretches” as the likes of you and me!
“Every time I’m in trouble, I call on YOU, confident that You’ll answer.” This is GOOD NEWS for all of us who serve God with our whole heart!  Are you one of them?  Don’t you want to be?

©2014 Debbie Robus