“But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.” Psalm 4:3
Devotion:
When we face the shame that comes with standing with Jesus, so many lies can fill our minds. We can begin to doubt what we believe, and the pressure from others can make us feel crazy. It is in those moments that we need God’s truth to settle our hearts.
David reminds himself, and us, that no matter how God’s people are perceived by the world, they are precious to God. The truth that David clings to is that he has been set apart. This idea of being set apart is where we get our word “sanctified” from. We talk about the sanctity of life or sometimes call places of worship sanctuaries. Why? Because human life is special and because some places are set apart for special uses. David clings to the fact that God’s people are sanctified—they are special—they belong to God and matter deeply to Him.
And because God has set His people apart, they can know that He hears their prayers, even when the world around them rages. Even when immense embarrassment comes our way for our faith, knowing that we belong to God and that He hears our prayers makes all the difference.
So how do we know this? We know this because all the promises of God are “yes” in Jesus Christ. We are united to Christ, and He is the ultimate sanctified one. God set apart Jesus as the apple of His eye, and in Jesus Christ, we are set apart with Him.
Prayer:
Father, help us to glory in the fact that we belong to You. It is beyond amazing that we are Your special people. Knowing that You cover us with Your loving hands changes everything about life.
Lead us to embrace all that it means to be sanctified. We want to see ourselves as completely devoted to You. And then we want Your Spirit to lead us in progressively giving more and more of ourselves over to You in reality.
It is hard sticking our neck out for You. Not because You aren’t worth it, but because we are so weak. The temptations to doubt Your truth grate at us. Please, Lord, hide Your word in our hearts. We want to live and pray knowing that all true reality is found in You. In Jesus’ name, we worship and pray.
Amen.
