Daily Devotions
Monday, July 14, 2025
Psalm 27:13-14 – I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
“Hurry up and wait” is often a summary of daily life. We always seem to be waiting for something. We wait for appointments or for the stop light to change from red to green. We expect rain to come and, when it comes, we wait for the weather to clear up. We wait eagerly for the visit of a friend or family member. We may wait with excitement or with impatience and anxiety. This psalm speaks of a different kind of waiting that begins with the words, “I believe.”
The words “I believe” rest firmly on the promises and goodness of God. This kind of waiting with faith is done with courage and confidence because we are waiting for the Lord. The psalmist believes that he “shall look upon the goodness of the LORD.” The goodness of God is anticipated in many psalms, for example “I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You’” (Psalm 16:2) or “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6). It is the way God in His grace chooses to act toward us—in goodness. In times of trouble and sorrow it may be difficult to imagine that God is doing anything good in our lives. Yet even then God is acting in goodness as He grants to us His peace and, according to His promise, works all things together for our good. When we wander from His ways, in His goodness and grace, God calls us to repent of our sins and graciously forgives us.
With the psalmist we can, with confidence, state our belief in the goodness of God. With the sight of faith we see His goodness shining out in the darkness of Good Friday, when Jesus suffered in our place, taking onto Himself the penalty of death that we deserved for our sins. We see the goodness of God revealed in the early dawn light of the first Easter morning when Jesus rose from the dead to walk again in the land of the living. With faith in our crucified and risen Lord, we believe that we will see His goodness, now and forever. In this earthly life, in this land of the living, we know the goodness of the Lord. We enjoy the world God has created. We receive the gifts of His Word and the Sacraments and experience the great goodness of fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We know the goodness of God’s comfort and peace in troubled days. Finally, we will enjoy the goodness of the Lord when we see Him face to face and walk with Him forever in the land of the living.
WE PRAY: Lord, I believe that I will see Your goodness, both in my life now and forever in Your presence. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
- Why is our belief in God central to our relationship with Him? (Read Hebrews 11:6; 2 Corinthians 5:6-9.)
- How does your faith empower you to face the challenges of life?
- Can you give examples of when your faith has given you more patience, endurance, and compassion?
Today's Readings:
Amos 4-6Galatians 1