#afflictions – herbcotton.org

Why You Can’t Trust Your Emotions

Text:

Psalm 34:10 (KJV)

10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

Observation:

To understand the motive for David’s writing of this Psalm, we need to know the background. The heading of the Psalm said this:

“A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.”

David fled to Gath, the home of Goliath the giant, who he had recently defeated. He sought help from the King of Gash, whose title was Abimelech, and his name was Achish.

David learned through this experience that God was his source of help, and not man. There is nothing that we need that God is not willing to supply.

When David sought the Lord, he found the help he desperately needed, he gave praise to the Lord, and invited others to do the same.

First, he gave praise to the Lord.

Psalm 34:1-2 (KJV)

1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

Second, he invited others who needed help to exalt the Lord with him.

Psalm 34:3-7 (KJV)

3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

Thirdly, he invited others to experience what he had experienced; to taste for themselves the goodness of the Lord.

Psalm 34:8-10 (KJV)

8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

Prayer:

Psalm 23:1-6 (ESV)

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

—

Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)
¹¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

Where Do You Go When You Need Help You Can Trust?

Text:

Psalm 31:1-3 (KJV)

1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.

3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.

Observation:

I love to read the Psalms because I find in them all of the human conditions that we face living in a fallen world.

This Psalm was written by David when he faced an enemy that was persecuting, lying, and seeking to spread a net to catch him. He tells us in this Psalm where he turned for help.

Psalm 31:7-8 (KJV)

7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;

8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

The help that was available to David then is available to you and me today if we do what David did.

Psalm 31:14-15 (KJV)

14 But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God.

15 My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

Prayer:

Father, in You alone I put my trust. Father, like David I gladly say that You are my God, and the Shepherd of my life; that in You I lack nothing.

Father, my faith looks up to You, and I trust in You with my whole heart. Father, I pray that all of us would live in Your presence, ask for help, and enjoy Your favor. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

—

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

How Do You Deal With Suffering?

Text:

Psalm 30:2-3 (KJV)

2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Observation:

The questions that many are asking is, “Why Am I Suffering?” As we read the bible we see that all of the disciples suffered. They suffered, and many died a martyrs death. Even Jesus suffered, and died. A better question to ask is, “How do we suffer?”

The bible says this about our suffering.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

In the season of our pain we should never forget that God is a good Father, and He cares for His children, and He has a great, and enduring love for us. We know that in everything God is working for our good.

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

The response to our pain should be praise from our lips to God’s ears. That is what David did, and that is what we should do. No matter what you are going through, the best is yet to come. God has you in His heart, and in His hands. Don’t allow your suffering to make you bitter. God has better plans for you; so offer up some praise to Him. A song of gratitude will change your attitude.

Psalm 30:4 (ESV)

4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.

Prayer:

Father God, we exalt You, and we extol, and give praise, honor, and glory to Your most holy and righteous name.

Father, with grateful hearts we say thank You for loving us with an everlasting love, and for doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Father, we love You, and cling to Your presence in our lives both now, and forever. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

—

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

What Is Your Greatest Need?

Text:

Psalm 40:16-17 (HCSB)

16 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let those who love Your salvation continually say, “The LORD is great!”

17 I am afflicted and needy; the Lord thinks of me. You are my helper and my deliverer; my God, do not delay.

Observation:

This morning I turned to one of the Psalms to speak encouragement into my heart, and I pray that it will speak into your heart.

David said, “I am afflicted and needy; the Lord thinks of me”. Isn’t it wonderful to know that the Lord thinks about you. The world will think about you when you are on top, but the Lord thinks of you when you are at your lows.

Psalm 34:18 (HCSB)

18 The LORD is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit.

David realized that the way out of his broken heart and crushed spirit was to humble himself, and to look up to the Lord.

Psalm 51:17 (HCSB)

17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.

David always took the time to worship the Lord no matter what he was going through. He knew that God cared, and that God was always available to listen to his plea.

Why not follow the example of David, who the Bible says was a man after God’s own heart.

He magnified the Lord.
He sung praises to the Lord.
He told God his needs.
He trusted in God with his whole heart.

Remember, God is for you, and not against you.

Jeremiah 29:11 (HCSB)

11 For I know the plans I have for you”—{this is} the LORD’s declaration—”plans for {your} welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

My soul sings, “My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

but wholly lean on Jesus’ name”.

Prayer:

Father, I delight to lift up, and magnify You. Father, you are great, glorious, and gracious to all who humbly seek your face.

Father, I am so grateful for all of the love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy that I have received from You. Father, I am so blessed to be able to say with David, and the Saints of the ages these words.

Psalm 23:1 (HCSB)

1 The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.

Father, help us to remember that the way out of our lows is to look up, and to give You praise and thanks for who you are, and for your mighty works. Let the people of God say, Amen.

—

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry

How Huge Are Your Burdens?

Introduction:

Does God ever allow us to experience burdens that are too heavy for us to bear? If so, how do you handle them?

Text:

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (ESV)

8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.

9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Observation:

The Apostle Paul had an experience of having an affliction that was beyond his ability to handle.

2 Corinthians 1:8 (ESV)

8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.

Paul did not give-up or worry about his affliction. Notice that Paul did not trust his feelings. Rather, he trusted in His God.

2 Corinthians 1:9-10 (ESV)

9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

Additionally, Paul had friends who knew his God, and they prayed for him. God works for His children when we pray for one another.

2 Corinthians 1:11 (ESV)

11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Conclusion:

2 Corinthians 1:10 (ESV)

10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

Prayer:

Father, I am so grateful that in this dark and dangerous world that even though we are sometimes faced with burdens too large for us to bear; we have a God who loves and cares for His children.

Father, I pray that all who know You will not hesitate to cast our burdens upon You because there is no one who cares for us more than You. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

—

Read the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/

Hear the Daily Devotional by Herb Cotton; click here:

https://soundcloud.com/praying-for-you-ministry