“For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plotteth against the just and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him; for He seeth that his day is coming.” Psalms 37:10-13
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44
Today’s Christian daily devotional
“You’ve ruined our family!” Ira’s voice echoed in the phone before there was dead silence.
Raquel wasn’t sure if this was simply a bad cell phone connection or a divine intervention from God Himself. She was just thankful that the taunting voice on the other end could no longer be heard.
How did her life get so bad so fast?
Raquel pulled her knees up to her chest, recalling the days when she and Ira were happy and in love.
For over two years, they tried to start a family. Raquel was so desperate to have a baby. With each failed attempt of conception her world started to look less hopeful. She was born to be a mother; Raquel could feel it in her bones.
Why wasn’t her body responding? Night after night she would pray that God would touch her womb.
“If you give me a child, I promise I’ll believe in you and serve you.” Raquel uttered those words to a God she wasn’t even sure existed. But she was desperate; and, that’s just what desperate people do.
Through this painful ordeal, Raquel and Ira turned to each other for comfort. Instead of allowing these difficulties to tear them apart, their problems only seemed to knit them closer together.
Raquel closed her eyes and tilted her head back, remembering the day her life was forever changed.
She was scattered…running late, as usual, for her afternoon nail appointment.
Of course I forget my keys! Raquel chastised her absent mind while darting back into the house.
The phone rang. She almost didn’t pick it up, knowing it would make only make her even more late. But, something urged her to go ahead.
“Raquel, are you sitting down?” Dr. Chandi himself was on the other line.
“What’s going on?” Raquel shifted nervously while fumbling into her kitchen chair.
“You’re pregnant!” If the doctor said anything more after those two words, Raquel never heard it. The mixture of shock, joy and relief flooded her system; the Hoover Dam of her emotions had just been released.
A warm tear trickled down Raquel’s freckled cheek, alerting her to today’s current reality.
Raquel was sitting in that same kitchen chair. Only, her world held little resemblance to that day Dr. Chandi called.
She watched as her little miracle impishly crawl around the kitchen floor. His curious and tiny hands reached for the family pug. The dog licked the boy like a brother.
As her little family interact, Raquel’s heart felt as if it might burst like a water balloon. Before Nicolas was born, Raquel thought she knew love. Today she was quite aware that she really had no idea…
With each day that passed, the more she fed, changed and took care of little Nicolas; the more her heart seemed to stretch. It was accommodating to a love that was infinitely growing.
Every morning when Raquel scooped Nicolas up from his crib, she noticed a bewildering sensation: Overnight that deep love felt like it had multiplied. Raquel couldn’t believe that she loved that little bundle more than when she had laid him down the night before!
The only time Raquel actually searched for God was when she cried out to Him in desperation for a child. God answered that prayer and Raquel didn’t forget it.
True to her word, she started to search the scriptures during Nicolas’ naptime. And, it wasn’t very long before Raquel began to fall in love with the God who was so generous and loving towards her.
At first, Ira didn’t mind the changes he saw in his wife. She seemed happier, kinder and was definitely more patient.
But, Raquel’s interest in God and the baby seemed to consume all of his wife’s energy and attention. It wasn’t very long before Ira felt like he was left out of the picture.
This wasn’t Raquel’s intention. She tried as hard as she could to include her husband in this exciting new phase of her life. She was hoping that Ira would grow with her; instead he pulled away.
“I’m sick of this. You’ve got to make a choice, Raquel. It’s God or me.” Ira’s eyes flashed with the kind of rage she had never witnessed before.
As her husband slept Raquel would bury her head in the pillow muffling the sounds of her breaking heart.
Weeks of silence turned into months. Before the year was over, Ira had resolved that divorce was the only way.
Psalms 37: 10-13 makes me think of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:44:“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.”
Sometimes our “enemies” are the very people we love. For some reason, they’ve turned against us and have become the source of our deepest pains.
In Psalms 37: 10-13 we read that God defends the righteous. So, who are ‘the righteous’? They are the ones who choose to love God. They commit to following His way, worshiping God first–whatever the cost.
God never promised that this life of following His Son, Jesus would be an easy one. But, He has plenty of promises that give hope to those who need a reminder that God sees their struggles and He has their back.
If you are feeling the brunt of making a stand for God, I challenge you to pray for those who are hurting you.
Because in essence, those people are setting themselves up to be enemies of God. They need prayer more than anyone.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I have gotten sidetracked and distracted. I have been feeling anger, rage and vengefulness in my heart. Today, I repent of these sins and I give my feelings to you.
Lord, I want to serve you with my whole heart. Making a stand to do things your way has cost me dearly. I feel like I am losing everything: my family, friends, stability and even my sanity at times!
I am going to believe that you really are a just God. You will defend me. I will not have to defend myself by lashing back at the ones who hurt me. Instead, I choose to give these people and my circumstance to you.
Bless them, Lord. They really don’t know what they are doing and whom they really are up against. Help them to see before it is too late.
Help me to walk in love, not just talk about it. Give me the peace that passes all understanding and help me to be a shining example of what true forgiveness really is.
In Jesus’ precious name, because I have discovered the light and I’m not turning back into darkness for anyone. Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: Psalms 37:10-13 and Matthew 5:44
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan