May 16 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 71:1-17:

¹In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
²Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
³Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.
⁴Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
⁵For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.
⁶By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.
⁷I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.
⁸Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.
⁹Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.
¹⁰For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,
¹¹Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.
¹²O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.
¹³Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.
¹⁴But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.
¹⁵My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.
¹⁶I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.
¹⁷O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

Devotional

Is there anyone more to be pitied than the man who has no hope? Job in his misery said, "My days are .... spent without hope." How sad! Yet he could afterwards say, "I know that my redeemer liveth." The reason? He believed in God. He knew he had a Redeemer. He believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our hope.

All who know not Christ as their Redeemer have no hope, and are without God in the world. We must have a hope that reaches beyond death. "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." Our hope "we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil," the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. Therefore, in the face of death we no longer sorrow as others which have no hope, for we are begotten again "unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." Even now we are "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." There is no need ever to be cast down.

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou dis­quieted in me? hope thou in God." The hope in God maketh not ashamed. "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is."

Prayer

In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be put to confusion. Deliver me in Thy righteousness, and cause me to escape. Incline Thine ear unto me and save me. Thou art my hope, O Lord God; Thou art my trust from my youth. I am a wonder unto many; but Thou art my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise and with Thy honour all the day. O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste for my help. I will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Job 7:6; 19:25; 1 Tim 1:1; Eph. 2:12; 1 Cor. 15:19; Heb. 6:19; 1 Thess. 4:13; 2 Pet. 1:3; Titus 2:13; Ps. 42:5; Rom. 5:5; Jer. 17:17.

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