FBC Daily Devotional – April 26, 2021

Well, good Monday to you.

How are you feeling on this fine Monday morning the last Monday of

The month of April, how are you feeling today?

How's your soul?

Little agitated maybe.

Disquieted.

Great deal of unrest going on in your soul these days.

On one level.

It's I suppose certainly understandable.

I think about all that's going on in the world and you know between the

Between the pandemic and between the pandemic and politics.

What you know what what what more could there be to cause a disquieted soul in these days

and not only that.

But I think even in the realm of religion and what's going on in in terms of the attitude Toward the

Christian faith and I'm assuming if you're watching this today, you've got at least some affinity

Toward toward Christianity if you're not a follower of Jesus and so

it doesn't take a lot of doesn't take a lot of observation to realize that Those who

are believers in Christ are facing increasing opposition.

He says that's A lot.

There's a lot that's going on in our world that can leave leave your soul

Disquieted and so I've got a song for you.

If you're in our following our reading plan you read today Psalm 43.

Psalm 43 is actually a companion psalm to the 42nd Psalm and one of the

things that indicates that is the repetition of The verse that is

verse 5 in Psalm 43 that asks the question Why are you cast down on my soul?

Why are you disquieted within me?

And that appears a couple times in Psalm 42 and then again in Psalm 43

but this particular Psalm 43 points out some reason why

you may Have a disquieted soul.

So the beginning of the psalm verse 1 You know calls upon the Lord to vindicate

vindicate me the psalmist says and plead my cause against an ungodly nation.

My cause against an ungodly nation.

It's a sad thing that oh Even a generation ago our our

nation.

It's never been a Christian nation per se but it has been built on

Judeo -christian ethics and Judeo -christian principles and those things are

Well vastly eroding very quickly eroding and we're seeing more and more evidence of this

all the time we are becoming we are an ungodly nation

any nation that would justify the the murder of unborn babies

by the millions in the last You know 30 years there's just no

excuse for that and it can be nothing declared nothing but an ungodly nation and then the the

not only the toleration for but the promotion of all of

the sexual abnormalities that are rampant and prevalent in our

day these all these things and more make our nation an ungodly

nation and if you're a Christian and endeavoring and wanting to live a Christian life,

then you realize just how much of a How much opposition you're

getting from your own nation didn't used to be that way.

But here it is and that can lead to a disquieted soul.

And he goes on to say deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

So it's one thing, you know when you feel that your whole nation the whole context in

which you're living Is essentially opposed to your worldview

and to your way of life.

But then when it gets personal and and you're facing that opposition on a personal level from

somebody At work or in your family even.

Then.

Then that that sense of the deceitful and unjust man Being right there and got a

stranglehold on you Disquiets the soul and then have

have there not been times and maybe you feel this way even today When it's like the Lord

has maybe Rejected you would you really come out and say that?

Well, the psalmist didn't have any problem with that.

He said he says you are the God of my strength.

Why you cast me off?

You feel like the Lord's cast you off and left you to fend for yourself in this in

this world and Dealing with the enemy and the oppression of our nation alone.

Well, he goes on to pray and to pray for That which will help him deal

with this set of circumstances that have so disquieted his soul.

He prays for the Lord to send out the light and your truth because

Really?

That's what will lead us.

That's what will guide you in this in this hostile environment Ever

-increasing hostile environment let those Lead you to the presence of the Lord

his truth His light as he goes on to say let them bring me to your holy hill and to

your tabernacle.

And then then he says I will go to the altar of God to God my exceeding joy.

This is the way you go to church, by the way.

Isn't it and and I and I really encourage you if you're not faithful in attending

a good Bible -believing church that preaches the word holds forth the word of truth

the Word of God as true I Encourage you to find one and to get there

if you're in the Sterling Rock Falls area Faith Baptist is a good place for you to go because.

Not because we were interested in building numbers or anything like that at all.

No, but but because we hold forth the truth and for the disquieted soul

is so essential we need God's truth to lead us to that holy hill and

When there is a place like that when we can we can have God's truth leading us in that way.

Then we can praise him.

We can go to him our exceeding joy and Praise him and worship him

in spirit and in truth as he wishes to as he wants to be worshipped.

So.

Again the psalmist ends by asking the question.

Why are you cast down on my soul?

Why are you disquieted within me looking around me looking right in front of me?

I see plenty of reasons.

To.

Be at unrest in my soul.

But then the psalmist preaches to himself and so I would encourage you.

Hope in God.

He says hope in God.

Open is hoping who he is.

Hoping what he is like.

Hoping what he's promised.

Hoping what is true as he has revealed it in his word.

Hope in God.

Then he goes on to say for I shall yet praise him.

He is the help of my countenance and my God the help of my countenance when your soul is

disquieted.

Within you you are at unrest in your soul.

Shows on your countenance, doesn't it?

Kind of downcast, you know sort of melancholy in your spirit and

It shows on the face.

Well, the Lord is the help of your countenance.

Let him lift you up go to him if your soul is disquieted.

Look to his truth.

Let his truth guide you lead you to his holy hill to God your

exceeding joy.

And then I trust you will find that he will be the help of your countenance hope

in him.

Let's pray and ask the Lord to do just that in our lives our Father and our God.

Surely in these days.

There's a lot to disquiet our souls.

There's a lot to cause us unrest in our hearts, and I pray today that.

For each one of us who may be feeling that in our spirit today.

That you would encourage us to hope in you you would lead us to your truth.

And that truth would lead you lead us to your holy hill to you are

exceeding joy.

May we find that joy in you as we hope in you.

Today we pray in Jesus name.

Amen.

All right.

Well, have a good rest of your Monday.

And I trust God will bless you with a good start to this new week god bless.