TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Has [the Lord’s] unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Psalm 77:8
Read: Psalm 77:5-9
Listen: Psalm 77
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Asaph writes Psalm 77 from a grim place. The people of Israel have thoroughly messed up by turning away from Almighty God to worship foreign idols. Babylon has ransacked Jerusalem, and the surviving Jews live in exile. God had warned them if they didn’t turn back to him from idols, their destruction was inevitable (Jeremiah 25:4-9). In his distress, Asaph wonders if God is totally done with them.
We can also find ourselves staring at the consequences of our actions, which create a distance between God and us. Like Asaph, when we cry out to God, we are not comforted. We wonder if God has withdrawn his love and abandoned us to our wrong behavior.
But God’s faithfulness does not depend on our faithfulness. He always had a plan to bring Israel back home from exile (Jeremiah 29:10-14). And he has a plan for us as well. Jesus died on the cross in our place to take away the penalty of our sins. We can rely on that fact even when we thoroughly mess up. Our relationship with God is not dependent on what we do—it’s dependent on what Jesus did.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
What’s the thing that makes you feel like God might be done with you? The truth is—he isn’t. Thank God for his forgiveness through Jesus. If you’ve never accepted Jesus dying in your place, you can do it right now. Simply tell God you believe Jesus died for you on the cross. Email us at btw@adabible.org to start a conversation about placing your faith and trust in Jesus.
NEW TESTAMENT READING PLAN
Join us this year as we read through the New Testament.
Today’s reading is Luke 9.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
