Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

²³ O love the Lord, all you His godly ones!
The Lord preserves the faithful
And fully recompenses the proud doer.
²⁴ Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the Lord.”  Psalm 31:19-24.

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Like David, you may feel like you are in a besieged city.  You may be in alarm, feeling cut off from God.

But, like David, God will make marvelous His lovingkindness to you even when you feel like you are in a besieged city.  Verse 21.

There can be wicked enemies that we encounter like Sennacherib king of Assyria, who when he was besieging Jerusalem tried to undermine Hezekiah king of Judah and create fear in the people by stating to the people in Jerusalem defending the city:  “Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands?  Were the gods of the nations of the lands able at all to deliver their land from my hand?  Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand?  Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers.  How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?’”  2 Chronicles 32:13-15.

But, there can also be apparently righteous allies that we encounter who likewise try to undermine our teachers of God’s goodness and create fear in the members of our church.  They will do so much more craftily and slyly by teaching that You can only trust God for the only goodness that You will get in heaven.  They will not point to Scripture, but rather, they will point out those people whom God had apparently not helped (without knowing whether or not they were actually Christians or without knowing whether or not God had indeed helped them).    

In all such encounters, we need to stay focused on God and His word.

“Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the Lord.”  Verse 24.

Trust God and His great goodness to you.

“How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You,
Before the sons of men!”  Verse 19.

“¹¹ For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
¹² O Lord of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!”  Psalm 84:11-12.

“⁵ But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.”  Psalm 13:5-6.

“⁸ But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.
⁹ I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it,
And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.”  Psalm 52:8-9.

“What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who is against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  Romans 8:31-32.

“O love the Lord, all you His godly ones!
The Lord preserves the faithful
And fully recompenses the proud doer.”  Verse 23.

⁶ Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I will never be moved.”
⁷ O Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;
You hid Your face, I was dismayed.
⁸ To You, O Lord, I called,
And to the Lord I made supplication:
⁹ “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You?  Will it declare Your faithfulness?

¹⁰ “Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me;
O Lord, be my helper.”
¹¹ You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
¹² That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”  Psalm chapter 30.

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David faced adversity.  But, God delivered him each time and gave him prosperity.  We see many examples of it in today’s Scripture.

David faced enemies.  But God lifted him up and did not let his enemies rejoice over him.  Verse 1.

David faced sickness.  “I cried to You for help, and You healed me.”  Verse 2.

David faced Sheol.  “O Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol”.  Verse 3.

David faced the pit.  “You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.”  Verse 3.

David faced God’s anger.  “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime”.  Verse 5.

David faced weeping.  “Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.”  Verse 5.

David faced mourning.  “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing”.  Verse 11.

³ The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The Lord is over many waters.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful,
The voice of the Lord is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
And Sirion like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the Lord hews out flames of fire.
⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the Lord makes the deer to calve
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”

¹⁰ The Lord sat as King at the flood;
Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.
¹¹ The Lord will give strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.”  Psalm chapter 29.

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“… Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.”  Verse 1.

God accomplishes all of His good pleasure.  Total Perfect Triumph.

“9 “Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man of My purpose from a far country.
Truly I have spoken;  truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, surely I will do it.”   Isaiah 46:9-11.   

“The Lord your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”  Zephaniah 3:17.

Because the LORD is Almighty God, He is able to give strength and peace to His people.

Because the LORD is Faithful Father, He is willing to give strength and peace to His people.

Q. 26.  What believest thou when thou sayest, “I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”?

 A.  That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (who of nothing made heaven and earth, with all that is in them;  who likewise upholds and governs the same by His eternal counsel and providence) is, for the sake of Christ His Son, my God and my Father;  on whom I rely so entirely, that I have no doubt but He will provide me with all things necessary for soul and body;  and further, that He will make whatever evils He sends upon me, in this valley of tears, turn out to my advantage;  for He is able to do it, being Almighty God, and willing, being a faithful Father.  Heidelberg Catechism.

“³² Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,
Sing praises to the Lord, Selah.
³³ To Him who rides upon the highest heavens, which are from ancient times;
Behold, He speaks forth with His voice, a mighty voice.
³⁴ Ascribe strength to God;
His majesty is over Israel
And His strength is in the skies.
³⁵ O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary.
The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people.
Blessed be God!”  Psalm 68:32-35.

⁶ Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplication.
⁷ The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart exults,
And with my song I shall thank Him.
⁸ The Lord is their strength,
And He is a saving defense to His anointed.
⁹ Save Your people and bless Your inheritance;
Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever.”  Psalm chapter 28.

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David was humble.  “For if You are silent to me, I will become like those who go down to the pit.”  Verse 1.

God does not love everybody.  God drags away the wicked.  Verse 3.  God even tears down those who “merely” do not regard His works.  Verse 5.

David was totally dependent on God.  Verses 7-9.

God does not save everybody, but God only saves His people.  Verse 9.

Which doctrine is more consistent with this Scripture?

Other doctrine which proudly continues to be dependent on its own works and alleged free-will?

Or, Reformed Doctrine which humbly recognizes man’s “Total Depravity” and is totally dependent on God and regards God’s works from His work of “Unconditional Election” to His work of “Limited Atonement” (limited to His people) to His work of “Irresistible Grace” to His work of “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation?

⁴ One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.
⁶ And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

⁷ Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice,
And be gracious to me and answer me.
⁸ When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You,
“Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”
⁹ Do not hide Your face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not abandon me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
¹⁰ For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
But the Lord will take me up.

¹¹ Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a level path
Because of my foes.
¹² Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
¹³ I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.”  Psalm chapter 27.

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I will summarize the four phases of thought in today’s Scripture;  there are cross-overs, but these are the four predominant themes of these verses:

1.  Confident boasting in the LORD.  Verses 1-3. 

2.  Quiet meditation.  Verses 4-6.

3.  Humble pleading.  Verses 7-13.

4.  Waiting on the LORD.  Verse 14.

We too go through similar phases in our life.  At times, we are strong and boast in the LORD:  “The Lord is my light and my salvation;  Whom shall I fear?”

 At other times, we more quietly meditate to learn more about the LORD:  “To behold the beauty of the Lord”.

When we go through trials and tribulations, we humbly cry out to the LORD:  “Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, And be gracious to me and answer me.”

But, there is both a conclusion and a summary of our lives in that we live by faith, we wait for the LORD:  “Wait for the Lord;  Be strong and let your heart take courage;  Yes, wait for the Lord.”

Other doctrine focuses on itself and just does it.

But, Reformed Doctrine focuses on the LORD and waits for the LORD, trusting in His goodness, His faithfulness, and His works:  His “Unconditional Election”, His “Limited Atonement”, His “Irresistible Grace”, and His “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.