Day: August 18, 2020

The very one against whom I have sinned, stands ready to defend me because of His ever present mercy toward those who have accepted the finished work of His son. “But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.” Psalm 59:16-17

When I am unable to defend myself, He is my defender. When I call out to Him in distress, He is there to defend me. “Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.” Psalm 31:2

In the quiet hours of the night when sleep evades me, in moments during which the devil brings thoughts of doubt or reminders of guilt; during those times I need only wait, knowing that God is my rock, my salvation, my defence. I possess nothing within myself, my defence rests within my God; so nothing the devil can throw at me need trouble or disturb me, for God is my defence.

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” Psalm 62:5-8

I have the best attorney of all time fighting to defend me, for my defence is of God. “My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.” Psalm 7:10 My defence is built upon the work of Calvary, where Jesus paid it all for me.

“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;” Philippians 2:10

So often we fret and we stew over daily events, all the while our joy becomes lost in the hustle and bustle. We go through the motion of greeting each day in the same routine frame of mind with little expectation that today will be any different than the one before.

At night we close our eyes with little thought to how it might have all been anything more if only we had turned it over to the Lord. Each today becomes another yesterday and tomorrow becomes today in the same rhythm of time and motion with no sense of question to the fact there just might be so much more. We seem oblivious to the fact that somewhere along the way our joy disappeared.

“The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.” Lamentations 5:15

In the back of our mind sits the ever present notion that somehow tomorrow will be different, yet the cycle continues in a forward motion with no consideration of the power available to us that would make it all so different.

“These things have I spoken unto you,that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 15:11

Even in the midst of the crazy schedules and never ending to-do lists of life, in Him we have the promise of joy. Our lives become so much more when we turn it over to Him and start our day in His presence maintaining that closeness throughout the day. We will find that each day becomes more in rhythm with what He intended for our lives. He guides us through each step, showing us the path for our day that is so much smoother than the crazy zigzag we often take for ourselves.

“Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11

He promises us joy, not just to have “joy”, but to be “full of joy”.

“Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.” Acts 2:28

“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24