August 9 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

These meditations are on the psalms. All those songs about Zion, the temple, and the Son of David really make sense when they are sung In the New Testament church.

Bible Reading:

Psalm 51:10–19

Bible Text:

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me (Ps. 51:11).

Devotional:

The prophet Samuel anointed David king over Israel, "and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power." David replaced Saul, who had also been anointed with the Holy Spirit. But a great reversal had taken place in Saul's life. "The Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him" (1 Sam. 16:13–14).

People who are called to do a particular task for the Lord must be anointed with the Holy Spirit, for without God's Spirit no one can do God's work. Not even Jesus. He did not start his ministry until the Spirit had descended on him (Mark 1:10–12).

All New Testament Christians have to work for the Lord God. Therefore all are anointed with the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:27), and some are set apart for special assignments (Acts 13:2).

David never forgot what had happened to Saul. Saul sinned, disobeyed, forsook his calling—and was fired as God's employee. "The Spirit of the LORD ... departed from Saul." This is the worst thing that can possibly happen to one of God's servants. When we lose the Spirit of God and are fired from our assignment, we are lost. The Spirit is our lifeline. If the Spirit leaves, we are dead.

Therefore, the deepest point of David's fear and the loudest cry after he had fallen into sin was this prayer: "Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me."

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.