Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: daily devotional

God Is Good To Those Who Wait

Faith, Trust

“The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3:25‬

Jeremiah was a prophet who preached the Word of God to an ungrateful people. They mocked him and ridiculed his sermons. No wonder Jeremiah was considered the weeping prophet.

While he preached the need for God’s grace, his fellow Israelites searched for other people and other things to satisfy their soul. They gave up on God because He didn’t answer their prayers instantaneously.

Needless to say it didn’t turn out so well when they started worshipping other gods and turned their back on God. Their punishment came in the form of captivity and removal from their land for 70 years.

Jeremiah penned these words, “The Lord is good to those who wait on Him.” This is a verse that many of us should write on a sticky note and put it somewhere it will remind us to wait on the Lord.

If you are like me, sometimes it’s difficult to wait patiently on the Lord. When we pray we want God to answer immediately. But sometimes it’s best for us to wait on the Lord.

When we pray and God doesn’t answer immediately, we must not give up. We must keep praying and keep seeking Him. It’s natural for us to think that God either isn’t listening to our prayers, He doesn’t care, or that He is punishing us. God hears our prayers and will answer in His timing.

Good things come to those who wait on the Lord. Don’t get impatient with God. He knows all things. He’s working all things for His glory.

He has a plan and His plans are much better than ours. When we take matters into our own hands, destruction will happen and things will fall apart. Some of us know first hand what happens when we act as if we are God and take control. It doesn’t turn out so good does it?

Keep praying and keep seeking the will of God. He will ultimately come through at the perfect time. He is not limited to time or resources and will do mighty things for those who remain faithful.

Pray

Lord, I seek You for all things. I have faith that You will answer my prayers at the right time. Give me courage to wait on You.

What Has God Done For You?

Encouragement

‘For You, Lord , have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands.’
Psalms 92:4

The New Living Translation says, “You thrill me, Lord, with all You have done for me!” The psalmist unashamedly proclaimed how God’s wonderful works made him glad. God delights in making us glad.

What has God done for you lately? It doesn’t take long to inventory the blessings that God has graciously given to us. Sometimes we just need to pause for a minute and reflect on all that the Lord has done for us.

It’s easy to get caught up in the negativity of the world and only ponder the bad things that are happening around us. So just stop what you are doing and think about the good that God has done and watch how He makes you glad.

With gratitude and thankfulness we praise the Lord. God gets all the honor and glory. This is what delights the heart of God. God is glorified when we “triumph in the works of His hands.” Those who are thrilled by God have a vibrant sense of joy. They easily sing unto the Lord.

Don’t ever be ashamed to speak up and speak out for the wonderful things that God has done. We need to hear more testimonies of how God is working and moving in the lives of His people. We need to hear about the good things that God is doing and how He is working all things out.

Pray

Lord, You thrill me everyday. Every breath I take and every moment I live is for your glory. Use me today to make a difference in someone’s life.

How To Honor God

Encouragement

‘But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. ‘
I Samuel 2:30

When we honor God, He honors us. But just the same, those who disrespect God will be treated as least in His Kingdom. It is fair to say that how we respond to God will determine how God responds to us.

God had to deal justly with Eli, the priest. Although he had served and honored God for many years, his sons were evil. Eli knew the standard of God’s righteousness and holiness but he chose to honor his sons and not God.

Eli revealed his heart when he failed to honor God before the people of Israel by the way he dealt with his sons wickedness. He allowed them to continue in sin.

God is not pleased when you praise Him on Sunday but not on Monday. It does not bring honor to God when you accept the standard of wickedness and sin from your family, friends and co-workers.

God expects us to honor Him completely and consistently. Just because we work or play around sinful people does not mean that we conform their ways. We must honor God by standing up for what is right and holy.

You may not be the popular person for excusing yourself when you around filthy conversation or jokes. You may even be mocked when you tell others to stop the nonsense. But that is what God expects from those who completely honor Him.

Pray

Lord, I will honor You with my whole heart. I will stand up against wickedness and stand strongly for the things that bring praise and honor to Your name. Father, forgive me for caving into the temptations of this world.