September 5 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

God's children are not always optimists. The lack of progress in the coming of the kingdom and the losses of the Christian church can fill us with apprehension and sometimes gloom. At times Christians seem to be a negligible minority. Their voices are so muted, their efforts so feeble.

If your head, your heart, and your treasure are in the kingdom of God, you must have reason, every now and then, to complain to fellow Christians and pour out your worries before God.

But we may never jump to the conclusion that the kingdom of God is not coming.

For one thing, it is easier to see sin than to see grace. Evil deeds and evil people make headlines. But according to Matthew 6, good works are a secret business between God and his children. Good works will not make headlines until the last day. That's why the good works of devoted Christians are much more numerous than any one of us will ever know.

Besides, God has a wonderfully quiet way of working. The devil's kingdom makes an enormous amount of noise. The poorest products always need the most advertising. And noise often gives the appearance of power to those who have none. But while the devil has the noise and the headlines, God's crop is growing as quietly as wheat in the field of the world.

When the devil moves in like a roaring lion, we must be on our guard, but we must not be intimidated. The battle is not won by noise.

Think of this: Pharaoh's soldiers were tearing baby boys from their mothers' breasts. The mothers were wailing, the young boys were drowning, and the devil was having his way. But meanwhile, at headquarters, Pharaoh's daughter was playing with a little boy. Pharaoh himself became the adoptive grandfather of Israel's liberator!

The devil may make a lot of noise. But "the One enthroned in heaven laughs" (Ps. 2:4).

REFLECTIONS

Where have you seen God's "wonderfully quiet way of working"? Reflect—and give thanks.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

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 updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.