February 4 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 27:

¹The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
²When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
³Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
⁴One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
⁵For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
⁶And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
⁷Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
⁸When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
⁹Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
¹⁰When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
¹¹Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
¹²Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
¹³I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
¹⁴Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Devotional

Isn't it about time that we stopped our worrying and being afraid? We have been thinking about these matters repeatedly. We have been constantly resolving to conquer our anxieties and to cultivate fearless Christian faith. But our success has been less than perfect. And our remaining fearfulness is a servant for all sorts of sins. Through our fearfulness we may be tempted not to make the courageous stand against unbelief and unrighteousness, which is required of the Christian warrior. We may in our timidity be tempted not to meet our obligation to speak the whole truth. We may perhaps become so shaken and immobilized at times by apprehension that we cannot perform our daily work acceptably. There is a danger also that we will become so self-centered that we will be unable to feel proper concern for the needs of others.

Don't we believe that the Lord is our light and our salvation? Don't we believe that He is the strength of our lives? Of whom, then, and of what are we going to be afraid? It is surely time for us to mean business about our needless fears. It is surely time for us to quit ourselves like men and to be strong - to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

Welcome to "Think on These Things," a twelve-week daily devotional prepared by the late Dr. John H. Skilton, an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and for many years Chairman of the New Testament Department at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia.

We are indebted to P & R Publishing and Skilton House Ministries for permission to use this copyrighted material on the OPC Web site. (P & R held the copyright from 1975 to 2005, at which time they reassigned the copyright to Skilton House.)