8th March. 2022. Daily Devotion.

They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. — Psalm 107:27-28

Many see the church as a place of spiritual relaxation or material blessing. That misconception causes frustration for people who are faithful believers but still have trouble and distress in their lives. If we describe it in nautical terms, the church is not a warship or a cruise ship but a lifeboat.

The seafarers described in Psalm 107 were helpless in the storm. They had no control over the movements of their ship. But they “cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.” They could not rely on their own strength, but they could trust in the power of the Lord.

This is still true today. God’s Word does not say we will not experience “the valley of the shadow of death,” but it does promise that God is with us. God does not ­ignore the cries of his people; he hears us in our distress.

Are you spinning around in a storm in your life? Rather than trying to fix things in your strength alone, ask the Lord to be with you in your distress and to have mercy on you. From North American Maritime Ministry Association, Montréal PQ.

Dear Lord, please carry us through the storms of life. Guide us not to rely on our own strength but to trust in you. We call out to you for help, Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Eternal Light, shine in our hearts. Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil. Eternal Power, be our support. Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance. Eternal Pity, have mercy on us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Alcuin (c.735-804)

Lord of all, breathe through us your all-enfolding acceptance and grace that, being transformed by your holy purpose for us, we may accept with humility, respect with sincerity and love with tenacity all those with whom we are called into your fellowship. In the name of Christ, who forgives, heals, and unites us. Amen.

Have mercy, O God, on our distracted and suffering world, on the nations perplexed and divided. Give to us and to all people a new spirit of repentance and amendment; direct the counsels of all who are working for the removal of the causes of strife and for the promotion of goodwill; And hastened the coming of your Kingdom of peace and love, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.