Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

The mark of Moses' maturity

Psalm 90 is credited to Moses, and in it he displays a remarkable mark of maturity. He acknowledged that there were certain afflictions that the Lord had ordained for His people. The trials that came their way were divinely ordained, which is a powerful understanding in and of itself.

But look closely at what Moses says in the first part of this passage. He prays, "Make us glad." Let's be honest, if it were us, we probably would have prayed, "Take this away." Our Psalm would have likely read, "Lord, I know you're in control and that these afflictions have come from You. I'm O.K. with that, but please cut it short. Take the trials away."

Moses may have had those thoughts, just as any human would. Yet as the Holy Spirit filled him to pen this Psalm, we see a mark of maturity, a maturity that doesn't seek the quick or easy way out of our trials, but that seeks divine comfort and gladness amidst the afflictions.

There's a big difference between asking God to remove something and asking God to enable you to endure something. We turn a corner in our spiritual growth when we ask less and less for the removal of affliction and ask more and more for a divine endowment to endure the affliction with gladness. Think it through: isn't there's a greater witness to God's power in our gladness amidst affliction than in the total absence of affliction?

Instead of asking for a lighter load, we should ask for a stronger back. And we do that by praying He would make us glad according to the afflictions He ordains.

Make us mature like Moses, God of all joy. Gant us Your great gladness as You help us through the trials You've ordained for us.

The trials that came their way were divinely ordained, which is a powerful understanding in and of itself.


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?