Going to God for Help and Comfort
A devotional by Aubrey Taylor
“Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.”—Psalm 86:17 (ESV)
When was the last time God helped or comforted you?
It is wonderful to personally relate to a verse like the one above, to look back at where we've been and recall all that God has done. It gives us strength to push forward through what we are currently facing, knowing that the God who was faithful before will be faithful again.
Perhaps we do not see it. Perhaps we feel that God has failed us and will fail us again. But may we remember that, while He does allow evil to cross our paths, He has also made a bold promise in Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV): “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
He even promises to use those things which threaten to devastate us for good. Nothing falls outside of Romans 8:28 (ESV) which says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Do you love Him? Has He called you to Himself? God longs for you to see the way He has helped and comforted you in the past. He also wants bring good from those things which seem as though no good could possibly come out of them.
Psalm 25:3 (ESV) promises that we will not be put to shame if we wait for God: “None who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.” The ones who will be put to shame are those who are, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, “undisciplined, ungoverned, unmanageable, rebellious, and disobedient”. Those who wait for God will not be put to shame—in spite of their struggles. This even provides for sins and shortcomings that happen in the course of our lives. He does not sit waiting to beat us over the head for our missteps. Instead, when our hearts are repentant and long to follow Him, God is waiting to use those things for our good.
Let today be the day we ask God to help us see how the pain in our past has worked for our good, and how He has been there to comfort us. Let’s focus on how God comforts and helps us in our day-to-day struggles, and assures us that He will be there to help in the future.
Let's Pray: Dear God, Thank You for comforting me and helping me. Please help me to see where You have done so in the past, and to believe that You will do so in the future—no matter what I face. Teach me how to see You in the mundane, day-to-day struggles of my life as well. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.
Song of Reflection #1: “My Help” by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #2: “Comforter” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.
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Author Bio:
The only child of a single parent, Aubrey Taylor filled her younger years by creating characters and writing stories. This ended around age sixteen when music, friends and part-time jobs began to fill her time. After that came college, work, marriage, and children.
Along with writing devotionals, Aubrey is the author of the German-perspective 20th Century Fiction series, Gott Mit Uns. She lives in Upstate New York with her husband and three children. When she’s not writing or taking care of her home and family, she enjoys singing and dancing with friends from a German choir and a Bavarian folk dancing group. She is also a lover of Jesus Christ, The Holy Bible, history, German culture, tea, and cats!
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Connect with Aubrey:
Website: https://www.aubreytaylorbooks.com
Blog: https://www.aubreytaylorbooks.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aubreytaylorbooks/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aubtaybooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aubreytaylorbooks/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21846520.Aubrey_Taylor
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/aubrey-taylor
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Aubrey-Taylor/author/B0973KWXV8
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