May 7 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 14:1–3

Devotional

If we pretend there is no God then the day when we meet Him as our Judge will be frightening. Even now we are foolish when we deny God’s existence. For if there is no God then we are actually just thrown into life without any true aim. The blind forces of nature usher us on and there is no true guidance in our lives. Neither will there be any refuge for us in all our needs. Consider then how poor and foolish we are when God’s existence is not interwoven with our existence. If only we would become wise! Scripture tells us, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10).

Even a child of God can be foolish in his heart. Asaph said, “Is there knowledge in the most High?” (Ps. 73:11). Asaph thought he had believed in vain and that he had reckoned with God’s existence in vain. He fell into such circumstances that it seemed as if there was no God in heaven. Then the question arose in his heart, “Is there a God?” Asaph, however, did not understand that the Lord governs all things according to His wisdom and not according to Asaph’s foolishness. It was only after he had entered the sanctuary that he could let God be God again, although the burden was not removed from him. Who of God’s children does better than Asaph when he is outside the sanctuary? If God Himself does not bring us into the sanctuary, then even after having experienced grace it can be that we do not want to recognize God as God.

It is in the sanctuary that God is acknowledged as God and that is where man bows in the dust. That is where man becomes foolish in his own eyes instead of wise.

God must be in His position of Majesty and man must be in his place of deep humility. In complete honesty, we can acknowledge that we all fall short in these very matters. But the more we confess these shortcomings, the greater entrance we will have to the sanctuary. Certainly we will have our greatest hours when both God and man are in their right places. That will be revealing as well as comforting. It will be humbling as well as edifying. Then the wise says in his heart, “There is a God in life and in death forever; and He is my God! Amen, my God. Yes, Amen!”

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.