Daily Fountain Devotional for Wednesday, January 3, 2024. The daily Fountain Devotional is the daily devotional guide by the Church of Nigeria (CON) Anglican Communion. This year’s volume is richly filled with the spiritual food, inspired by the holy Spirit. This is the third day’s devotional of the daily fountain for the month of January in the year 2024. The 2024 Daily Fountain Devotional Wednesday January 3. Read also, in case you missed it: Daily Fountain Devotional for Tuesday, January 02, 2024
Wednesday, January 3, 2024
Topic: Be sincere with God
Text: Psalm 10:1-18
Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous;
your laws are rejected by him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”
7 His mouth is full of lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
9 like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10 His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;
he covers his face and never sees.”
12 Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
13 Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
“He won’t call me to account”?
14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked man;
call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
that would not otherwise be found out.
16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror.
The Daily Fountain Devotional for Wednesday, January 3, 2024
DISCUSSION
When Jeremiah said to God: “O LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed, I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me” (Jer. 20:7), I thought he had gone too far. And I was surprised that God did not kill him, though He eventually corrected him. Throughout Scripture, saints that have gone before us found times and occasions to be very sincere with God.
The Psalmist was troubled that God seemed to be standing far away from him; he could not understand why God would ‘hide’ Himself in his time of trouble. At a point or the other, we may be in situations where it seems God is so far away, particularly in great troubling times or time of extreme lack or sickness. At such points, it may seem God does not care. But it is never true; God never abandons His own.
Whenever you’re in such situation, remember the answer for the Psalmist in verse 14, “But you do see.” God sees; he hears. He is never unaware of your real situation; He is never uncaring about what you are going through. His timings are not necessarily ours, so it would sometimes seem He is late. But He is never late. Again, we learn from the same verse that He is the helper of the fatherless. He is ever willing to aid you, ever willing to help you, even willing to carry you when ypur strength fails. You can sincerely tell Him how you feel and watch Him come through for you.
Action: Today, ask the Lord to help you.
