Yaba Baptist Church: Cup Of Faith Daily Devotional 1 December 2022 – Look Up! Don’t Give Up
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TOPIC: Look Up! Don’t Give Up
Bible Text: “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish.” – Psalm 25:16-17
Eleven good months have gone by in the year. We are left with just one more to go. To some, it’s been a good year while to others the story is different. Whether the year has been good or otherwise, depends to a large extent on how much of one’s goals and objectives have been achieved. To those who already have their goals realized, the year may be good while it may be bad for those who have failed and are still struggling to catch up. The primary purpose of today’s message is to encourage the heart of those who have probably experienced failure in one way or another and have, as a result, given up. It is better to look up than to give up.
In today’s text, the psalmist seems to be in a state of hopelessness and helplessness. Instead of submitting to discouragement and bowing to disillusionment, he decided to look up to God. He refused to give up because he trusted in the power of God to intervene in the situation he found himself in.
When God put it on Nehemiah’s heart to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem after the return of the Israelites from captivity, they began the work with great vigor and enthusiasm. The Bible says in Nehemiah 4:6 that they worked with their heart. However, by the time the work of rebuilding was completed to half its height, the people became discouraged. According to verse 10, one of the reasons for their discouragement was fatigue. The workers had become exhausted. They had worked hard on the first half of the project, but they had grown weary and worn down.
Not only were the Israelites fatigued; they were frustrated: The project was more complex than they thought it was going to be. The ruin and rubble of their destroyed city were almost too much to handle. In Nehemiah 4:10, the people said, “There is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves” (NLT). The implication of this is that they were frustrated, depressed, and discouraged. They felt they could no longer continue with the building project.
Beloved of God, are you weary, fatigued, and discouraged? It is too early to give up. This is not the time to give up but the time to look up. It is a time to cry for help and assistance from God. It doesn’t matter what you have gone through or what you are going through right now. The most important thing is for you to end your year with testimonies. Therefore, don’t give up but look up.
PROPHETIC PRAYER
I pray for you today:
- May the Lord remember you for good this month.
- The Almighty God will turn to you.
- He will be gracious unto you.
- This month, the Lord will relieve you of the troubles of your heart.
- He will free you from your anguish.
So shall it be in Jesus name. Amen
Happy New Month.
CHRIST IS THE ANSWER.
Yours in Christ,
Revd Dr. Bayo Sola Aremu
Church pastor
Yaba Baptist Church
Sabo-Yaba, Lagos
If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to yababaptist@yahoo.com, +234 1 291 3962, +234 706 469 0938.
