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God is Loving and Kind
Andrea Lende • April 23, 2021
Psalm 52:8
God is Loving and Kind
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/God-is-Loving-and-Kind-evh1c3
Psalm 52:8
“But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in and confidently rely on the loving-kindness and the mercy of God forever and ever.”
King David compares himself to an olive tree in God’s garden.
Interestingly, olive trees can live over one thousand years and beyond.
In fact, there are some olive trees that have been living for two thousand years.
Olive trees are also almost indestructible.
Their root system is so strong that even if the tree and branches are destroyed through frost or fire, the roots will produce new stems before long.
Lastly, olive trees are noted for being sacred in times of old.
So, when David wrote he is like an olive tree, he is saying he is long lasting, indestructible, and sacred in the house of God.
All of these are such beautiful gifts from the Lord.
He has made a way for us to be eternally His.
We are grounded and rooted in Him, so we are indestructible.
Lastly, we are made holy through Him and His perfect plan to bring us into His Kingdom.
In the second part of the verse today, David wrote he trusted in the Lord’s loving-kindness and mercy.
I love his understanding of God.
His knowing that the Lord would care for him in all situations and circumstances.
I love that he experienced the Lord’s loving-kindness.
David fought many wars and saw much death and destruction.
His heart should have been hard and callous.
But what does he most often write about?
God’s love and mercy.
This great and mighty warrior wrote songs of praise to the Lord.
Such a beautiful thing.
The Lord will always be loving and kind even if the world turns dark and cold.
David reminds us to trust in God’s love and mercy.
Today I choose to focus on God’s love and mercy no matter how hard and callous this world is.
May you find the Lord is gracious, merciful, and loving to you and to those you call family.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me of Your mercy and loving-kindness through Your servant David. King David, a mighty warrior, wrote you songs of praise and worship. And although he fought battle after battle, his heart was Yours. He trusted in You and Your loving-kindness and mercy. May my heart be like David’s, Lord. May I warrior on and do as You ask me of me, and yet remain tenderhearted and hopeful in You. Keep me seeking You, Lord. Keep me seeking Your grace and mercy. Thank You for watching over and protecting me and the family You have given me. May our hearts be Yours today and throughout eternity. May we fall down and worship you and not the things of this world. Lead and guide our steps today, Lord. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM watching over you and your household, and you will always be Mine.
Response: Undeservedly Yours, Lord, thank You most gracious and merciful Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.