Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

In the corner It's not unheard of for the Lord to take His people and put them in a proverbial corner...to strip them of relationships and associations, to remove them from their friends and families, to isolate them for a certain season. Just look at Joseph, look at Elijah, look at David, look at Daniel and Jeremiah and Job. At one time or another, most pillars of faith in God's Word went through a time of crying out, "I am shut up, and I cannot get out!" They were put in the proverbial corner, locked down and locked out from the normal course of life. And it only stands to reason that if God would allow this in their lives, He's going to allow it in ours, as well. But why? Why does the Lord remove so much from us and put us in lonely places for a season? The answer comes in the next verse of this Psalm: LORD, I have called daily upon You; I have stretched out my hands to You. (Psalms 88:9 NKJV) It was when the Psalmist was backed into a corner that he stretched out his hands and called out to the Lord daily. Prayer became more passionate and personal when all else was stripped away. Communication was taken to an entirely new level, and the roots of relational intimacy went deeper than ever before. More than anything else, God wants to cultivate relationship with us. And sometimes, being backed into a corner is the best way to make this happen. It's there that we get tight with God and our faith in Him flourishes. Divine Disciplinarian, You know what we need and why we need it. Help us to submit to Your purpose, especially when we find ourselves backed into a corner. Prayer became more passionate and personal when all else was stripped away. Think about it... What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today?