Devotion 20 July 2026

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.  Romans 8: 28

READING: Psalm 105: 1-4, Romans 8: 26-28

We are called to give thanks to our Lord Jesus in gratitude for all His blessings that He has given and all He has done for us.  When last did you thank the Lord, not only for all the great and wonderful gifts He has given you, but also for the small, insignificant things that you so often take for granted?  Remember we don’t deserve anything that we receive from Him.  It is through God’s love and goodness for us that we have received all our gifts.  We need to be aware of God’s gifts to us and make a point of thanking Him frequently throughout every day.  We read in Colossians 3 :17, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him,” and in 1 Thessalonians 5 : 16 – 18 we read, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”   Praying to our Lord God is not always easy.  In Romans 8 : 26b we read about Jesus’ promise that His Spirit will help us to pray, we read, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”  What a wonderful promise!  There are many times when we do not know how to pray in a specific situation or when life knocks us over in difficult situations.  In our reading at the beginning of the devotion, Paul is not saying that if you love God, nothing bad will happen to you, nor if something bad happens, that God is testing you.  Paul is reminding us that even amidst the world’s evil, God continues to transform things for good.  We are fortunate that we are also able to turn to many of the Psalm which are wonderful prayers of praise as in the reading from Psalm 105 above.  In vs. 2 we read, “Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.”

Prayer

Lord Jesus, may our witness be joy, our lives thanksgiving, our hands praise, our hearts love, our strength peace, and our daily walk hope.  May You be known through the way we live our lives and all glory be Yours.  Amen