Devotional
Many Are The Afflictions Of The Righteous
Scripture declares that the righteous face many trials. This devotional addresses spiritual battles and focuses on the certain promise of divine rescue from every affliction.
Many Are The Afflictions Of The Righteous
Psalm thirty-four declares that many are the afflictions of the righteous. The Holy Spirit spoke plainly here. A trouble-free existence finds no promise in this verse. Afflictions come in numbers, arrive as waves, and enter through directions unknown to the righteous.
The beauty of this same verse lies in its second half. The One who announces the multitude of afflictions also declares the certainty of deliverance. The LORD delivereth him out of them all. Every single one.
Joseph walked this path long before the psalm was written. Scripture presents him as a young man carrying dreams from God. He shared those dreams with his family. His brothers responded with hatred. They stripped him of his coat of many colours. They threw him into a pit. They sat down to eat while he cried from that dark hole. They sold him to slave traders for twenty pieces of silver.
That pit held more than Joseph’s body. Betrayal from family. Loss of freedom. Uncertainty about the future. A seventeen-year-old boy, innocent of wrongdoing, sat in darkness while his brothers laughed above him. The affliction multiplied in that single moment.
The slave traders carried him to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, purchased him. Joseph served faithfully in that house. He worked hard. God received honour through his conduct. Everything he touched prospered. Then Potiphar’s wife noticed him. Day after day she pursued him. Joseph refused to sin against God. She caught him by his garment. He left it in her hand and fled. She screamed and lied, using his garment as false evidence. Prison received him.
That prison carried its own affliction. Innocence meant nothing there. Doing the right thing earned no reward. The chief butler whom Joseph helped by interpreting his dream forgot him for two full years. Scripture records that he remembered him not, but forgat him. Two years of chains when no crime had been committed. Questions about heaven’s silence filled his mind. Affliction upon affliction.
Yet Scripture makes a striking observation about Joseph in that dungeon. The LORD was with Joseph. Divine presence remained with him despite the prison walls. The covenant stood firm though chains bound him. The memory of God did not fade though men forgot him.
When the appointed time arrived, Pharaoh dreamed. The chief butler finally remembered Joseph. They brought him from the prison, shaved and changed his raiment. He stood before Egypt’s most powerful man. God gave him the interpretation. Pharaoh recognized the Spirit of God in him. That same day, Joseph went from prisoner to governor over all the land of Egypt. Fine linen replaced prison garments. The second chariot of Egypt carried him through the streets. Men bowed before him.
The pit could not hold him. Slavery could not define him. False accusation could not destroy him. Prison could not contain him. The LORD delivered him out of them all.
Scripture records that the LORD was with Joseph, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper. Even in the house of Potiphar, even in the prison, the hand of God rested upon him.
When the brothers threw Joseph into the pit, destruction of his destiny topped their agenda. God used that same pit to begin his journey toward the palace. When Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him, ruin of his life consumed her thoughts. God used that accusation to position him exactly where he needed to be. When the chief butler forgot him, victory seemed certain to the enemy. God was simply waiting for the perfect moment.
Hidden in Joseph’s story lies a principle for every righteous person. The affliction itself becomes the avenue for elevation. What the adversary means for evil, the LORD turns for good. The pit becomes pathway, the prison preparation, the workshop.
The Adversary thought he could destroy Joseph in the pit. Instead, that pit taught Joseph to depend on God alone. At the bottom of a pit with no human help available, a person learns to cry out to heaven. The adversary thought he could break Joseph through temptation in Potiphar’s house. Instead, Joseph learned to fear God more than the consequences of doing right. The adversary thought he could bury Joseph in prison. Instead, Joseph learned to serve God even when no promotion was in sight, in the height of affliction.
By the time Joseph stood before Pharaoh, he was ready. The pits had prepared him. Slavery had forged him. The prison had matured him. He did not need the palace to validate him. He had already learned that the LORD was with him, even in the dungeon. Those afflictions had done their work, forging a character strong enough to govern a nation.
The same God who accompanied Joseph through every affliction walks with you. He knows exactly how much pressure you can bear, precisely when to step in, and how to deliver in ways that bring glory to His name and testimony to your life.
When the adversary afflicts with intention to break, the LORD uses that same affliction to bend. Bending differs from breaking. Bending brings flexibility, strengthens, and prepares for what lies ahead. A tree that has never faced wind grows shallow roots. A tree that has weathered many storms stands firm because its roots have gone deep searching for water. Affliction drove Joseph’s roots deep into the soil of God’s fruitfulness.
When the adversary afflicts with intention to silence, the LORD uses that same affliction to give a new song. The deepest praises emerge from the deepest pits. The loudest testimonies arise from the fiercest battles. Joseph’s testimony was on how God delivered him out of every trouble.
When the adversary afflicts with intention to isolate, the LORD uses that same affliction to draw closer. Joseph discovered that even in prison, the LORD was with him. That discovery outweighed the freedom he temporarily lost.
The Psalmist made a striking confession in Psalm one hundred and nineteen: It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. Affliction teaches what comfort cannot reach, reveals what prosperity hides from view, and drives the soul to the Word. Joseph learned the statutes of God in Potiphar’s house and in the darkness of the prison. Those lessons stayed with him for life.
Scripture records that the LORD visited Joseph in prison and that the keeper of the prison committed all things into his hand because the LORD was with him. The same hand that guided Joseph guides you.
Perhaps the body carries affliction through sickness that has lingered beyond all medical explanation. Scripture records that the LORD is the one who healeth all diseases. The same hand that touched the leper and made him whole reaches toward you.
Perhaps the finances carry affliction as bills arrive faster than provision. Scripture declares that the LORD is Jehovah Jireh, the one who sees and provides. He was with Joseph in prison and did not forget him. He sees your needs.
Perhaps the family carries affliction in marriage, children wandering far from faith. Scripture records that the LORD restored Joseph to his father and his brothers. He restores.
Perhaps the mind carries affliction through thoughts that refuse to quiet. Scripture declares that God has given the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.
The afflictions may be many, but the deliverance is mighty. The LORD does not deliver from some afflictions while leaving others. He delivers out of them all.
Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt years later, bowing before him, fulfilling the very dreams they had tried to destroy. Joseph looked at them and spoke words that reveal a heart fully taught in the ways of God: But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
The brothers meant evil. The adversary meant evil. The afflictions meant evil. God meant it for good. The pit worked for Joseph’s good. The slavery worked for his good. The false accusation worked for his good. The prison worked for his good. Every affliction became a tool in the hand of a sovereign God, preparing Joseph for the destiny ahead.
This is the testimony of the righteous. Afflictions come, but the LORD delivers out of them all. The path may be difficult, but the destination is certain. The night may be long, but joy cometh in the morning.
The same God who delivered Joseph is still delivering. The same God who turned his captivity still turns afflictions for good today. Affliction carries an expiration date. The Battle has a termination point. The LORD is about to show up. When He shows up, He shows off. Mourning turns to dancing. Setbacks turn to prosperity. Barrenness turns to fruitfulness. Captivity turns to freedom.
LET’S PRAY
Every pit dug for evil, become the pathway to the palace, in the name of Jesus.
Every chain holding the righteous in bondage, break by the fire of the Holy Ghost and in the name of Jesus.
O LORD, visit this waiting period with delivering power.
Let every evil meant against the righteous be turned for good, O God.
Lord, let more testimonies arise out of affliction.
Every yoke of the Adversary upon the righteous, be destroyed by fire, in the name of Jesus.
Thank You O God of Joseph, for Your visitation and for Your delivering power today.
In Jesus name, Amen!
Let’s Make These Declarations By Faith
This day, the LORD arises over my life. Every affliction that has troubled me shall end. The hand of the Lord stretches out to deliver me. His word goes forth to heal me.
His angels are dispatched to war on my behalf. I shall not be overwhelmed. I shall not be confounded. I shall not be destroyed. I shall come forth as gold tried in the fire.
My latter end shall be more blessed than my beginning. The testimony of the LORD shall be heard in my mouth. Songs of deliverance shall fill my house. The Adversary that gathered against me shall scatter.
The traps they set for me shall catch them. The evil they planned for me shall return upon their own heads. I am delivered. I am free. I am a victor.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Devotional
The Sun Stood Still In The Midst Of Heaven
Time itself pauses when the Lord commands the light. The shadows have no place to hide as the heavens yield to a man’s voice. Darkness is delayed, the decree is final, and the victory is inevitable.
The Sun Stood Still In The Midst Of Heaven
Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. Five kings had come against Gibeon, the city that made peace with Israel, and Joshua marched all night from Gilgal with his mighty men of valor.
The Lord discomfited the Amorites before Israel, slaying them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chasing them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smiting them in Azekah and unto Makkedah.
The battle raged across the valley while the Amorites fled before the sword of Israel. Above them the sun climbed higher into the sky. Few hours were left before night fall granting the enemy an escape.
Joshua saw the day slipping away. He saw the enemy scattering into the hills where shadows would hide them. A commander knows the cost of an unfinished victory.
Standing before the men of valor, with the valley stretched out beneath him and the five kings fleeing toward the caves, Joshua opened his mouth. He spoke to the Lord. Then he spoke to the sun.
“Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon” (Joshua 10:12 KJV).
“And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.” (Joshua 10:13 KJV)
The sun stood still in the sky. The moon held its place over the valley. The sun stayed at the command of a man who spoke with the authority of heaven.
“And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel” (Joshua 10:14 KJV).
Creatures obeyed its Maker. The same voice that said, “Let there be light,” held that light in place at the request of His servant. Joshua asked. The Lord answered. The sun and moon became weapons of war.
The five kings fled to a cave at Makkedah. Joshua commanded great stones rolled before the mouth of the cave, guards set to watch them, and the army pressed on, destroying the Amorites until the victory was complete.
When the slaughter ended, Joshua returned to the cave and brought out the five kings. The sun that stood still witnessed the defeat of kings before the armies of Israel.
The Lord fights for His people. Heaven and earth move at His command. What God did at Gibeon, He did in generations. He bends creation to His will, and gives victory.
Joshua did not fight alone in that day. The Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon the Amorites. More died from the hailstones than from the sword.
Prayer moves the hand that moves the world. Joshua’s voice reached the throne of God, and the throne of God commanded the heavens.
The sun, that great burning light traversing the sky since the fourth day of creation, paused its course. The moon, the lesser light ruling the night, stayed its orbit.
Time itself submitted to the will of the Almighty spoken through the lips of a man who walked in covenant with the Maker of all things.
That day extended beyond all natural limits. A prolonging of light and triumph, an extension of the Lord showing Himself strong on behalf of His people.
The Amorites learned what Egypt learned at the Red Sea. The five kings discovered what Pharaoh discovered beneath the waters.
The God of Israel is Lord.
LET US PRAY
Lord of hosts, fight for the faithful as You did at Gibeon.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!
Devotional
Except the Lord Build the House
Labor is empty and vanity without the Master Architect. See why the Lord must build the house and keep the city for work to have lasting substance.
Except the Lord Build the House
Nehemiah held the cup in his hand. He stood before King Artaxerxes in the palace at Shushan. The wine was ready to be poured. The king sat on his throne, surrounded by guards and advisors.
Nehemiah had served the king for years, pouring wine with a steady hand and a calm face. But that day, the hand trembled and the face showed sorrow.
The king noticed. “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart” (Nehemiah 2:2 KJV).
Nehemiah feared greatly. A sad face before the king could mean death. But Nehemiah carried a burden heavier than the fear of punishment.
The walls of Jerusalem lay broken. The gates were burned with fire. The people of God lived in despair, troubled on every side.
Nehemiah had heard the report months earlier. Hanani, one of his brethren, came from Judah with news. “The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3 KJV).
Nehemiah sat down and wept. He mourned for days. He fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” (Psalm 127:1 KJV)
Did Nehemiah rush to Jerusalem? Did he gather stones and mortar with his own hand first of all? Nah! He went first to the Lord. He confessed the sins of Israel.
He reminded God of His promises. “Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: but if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there” (Nehemiah 1:8-9 KJV).
The king spoke. “For what do you make request?” (Nehemiah 2:4 KJV). Nehemiah prayed to the God of heaven. Then he answered. “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favour in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it” (Nehemiah 2:5 KJV).
The king granted the request. He gave letters for safe passage and timber from the forest.
Nehemiah went to Jerusalem, inspected the walls by night, did not tell anyone what God had put in his heart. Then he said to the people, “You see the distress we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer reproach” (Nehemiah 2:17 KJV). The people said, “Let us rise up and build.” They strengthened their hands for this good work.
Sanballat mocked, Tobiah laughed. “What is this thing you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?” (Nehemiah 2:19 KJV). Nehemiah answered, “The God of heaven himself will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build” (Nehemiah 2:20 KJV).
The wall rose higher each day. The workers held a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other. They laboured from the break of dawn until the stars appeared. The enemies plotted to attack, but the Lord disappointed their devices. In fifty-two days, the wall was finished.
The Lord built that house.
LET US PRAY
Lord, let the foundation and blocks be laid, and let the building be completed.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!
The Just Shall Live by Faith
Habakkuk cried out from the watchtower. Violence and spoiling filled the land. The law was disobeyed, yet judgment did not go forth. The wicked compassed the righteous. Then the Lord answered from His holy temple.
“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4 KJV)
This was the word that came to the prophet. A word of life. A declaration of how the righteous would endure until the appointed time. Not by strength. Not by human intellect. By faith.
The soul that sins finds no standing. Only the just find life. Life sustained by faith.
Faith is assurance. Conviction. Substance. The evidence of things not seen. Never a feeling, nor a wish but a spiritual reality. Not by sight. Not by reason.
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 KJV)
The just live by the Word of God.
Apostle Paul declared this in Rome. The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” The wrath of God is revealed against ungodliness. Mercy is revealed to the faithful.
Abraham believed God. It was counted to him for righteousness. He staggered not at the promise of God. Strength came through faith.
In the beginning, God spoke worlds into existence. By faith, the worlds were framed by the word of God. Things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Faith perceives the invisible.
The shield of faith quenches fiery darts of the wicked. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. He that comes to God must believe that He is. He must believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Faith moves mountains. Faith commands the sun to stand still. Faith shuts the mouths of lions. Faith quenches fire. Faith turns weakness into power.
The just walk in this faith through trials, temptations, troubles, and persecutions. The world sees trouble; the just see glory. The world sees lack; the just see provision. The world sees death; the just see resurrection.
Christ is the Author and Finisher of faith. For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross. He despised the shame. He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The just live by faith in God. The Son of God loved the church and gave Himself for it. To sanctify and cleanse it. To present it holy and without blemish.
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God…” (Galatians 2:20 KJV)
No weapon formed against shall prosper. Every tongue that rises in judgment shall be condemned. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.
The just stand fast and the just overcome the world.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4 KJV)
Victory by faith. Through the life of faith.
LET US PRAY
Lord, increase faith. Let life be lived by Your Word alone.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!
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