August 16 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 74:12–23

Bible Text:

Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long (Ps. 74:22).

Devotional:

The exiled poet cries for God's attention. The city and the temple where the LORD once resided are in ruins. The promised land is devastated. The sons and daughters of Israel are captive slaves in Babylon. They deserved this fate. Yet our psalm singer belongs to the remnant that still hopes in God.

At this point he recalls the Exodus. The song that Moses and Miriam sang at the Red Sea (Ex. 15) is in the back of his mind. He recalls how God put a path through the sea, which became a highway for his people and a grave for his enemies. Miriam sang and the daughters of Israel danced as the dead Egyptians floated to the shore. Their song concluded, "The LORD will reign for ever and ever" (Ex. 15:18).

"You are still my king," the psalmist cries (v. 12). O King, why don't you rise up and defend your cause? Once you split the sea and provided a meal in the wilderness. O Powerful One, you regulate day and night, summer and winter. How can you sit and watch while fools mock you? "Rise up, O God!"

Today the Christian church is assigned the role of stirring God to action. "Hallowed be your name!" Magnify your name, Father, in a world where fools control the microphones and the media. "Your kingdom come!" Show the world who is boss. Rise up, O Christ, divine King! Let your blessed will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

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.