Be Steadfast and Immovable!

Psalm 41

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, May 2.

How do you handle times of betrayal and bitterness? Psalm 41:4-9 describes David’s plight when writing today’s psalm, yet out of the ashes of his sufferings arose the beauty of his compassionate care of the helpless. He set a beautiful example for us to follow, as Spurgeon wrote of David, “What was bitterness to him has proved to be a fountain of unfailing sweetness to many generations of the faithful.”^[1] From his despair, David started Psalm 41 with a benediction in verses 1-3:

How blessed is he who considers the helpless; the Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble. The Lord will protect him and keep him alive, and he shall be called blessed upon the earth; and do not give him over to the desire of his enemies. The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health.

Jesus succinctly restated this opening stanza in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” He further elaborated upon it in the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 25:34-36 – we will be eternally rewarded for the mercies we extend to others in this life. What makes showing mercy to others difficult is the distraction of our own suffering. Amid his own suffering, David gave us the solution – do what is right and trust God with the results. In 1 Corinthians 15:58, Paul taught us to do the right thing because of the hope we have through the victory of Jesus Christ, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

Seize the moment and pray Psalm 41, meditating upon the mercies of God in your life to bring beauty from ashes. Serve the helpless of your community today.

God bless you!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.

Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.