November 11

Morning

The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’ — Deut 33:27 BSB

God—the eternal God—is our constant support, especially when we’re sinking in deep trouble! There are times when Christians are deeply humbled, weighed down by the awareness of their sinfulness, feeling so low that they barely know how to pray, seeing themselves as unworthy. But child of God, remember that even at your lowest, “underneath” you “are His everlasting arms.” Sin may pull you down, but Christ’s atonement is always beneath it all. You may have fallen far, but never so far as “the uttermost”; and to the uttermost, He saves.

Sometimes, Christians sink deeply in painful trials. Every earthly support might be stripped away. What then? Still, beneath you are “His everlasting arms.” You can’t fall so far into distress and hardship that the covenant grace of our ever-faithful God won’t encircle you. Even when fierce inner battles rage, and trouble overwhelms, you cannot sink so low that you’re beyond the reach of “His everlasting arms.” They are always underneath, and with that assurance, all of Satan’s attempts to harm you are in vain.

This promise of God’s support is a comfort to anyone weary but committed to serving God. It’s a guarantee of strength for each day, grace for every need, and power for every task.

And when death comes, this promise will still hold true. As you pass through the river of death, you’ll be able to say with David, “I will fear no evil—for You are with me!” You may go into the grave, but you’ll descend no further, for His everlasting arms hold you even there. Throughout life and at its end, you will be upheld by “His everlasting arms”—arms that never grow tired or weak, for “the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth—He never grows faint or weary.”

Evening

He chooses our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom He loves. Selah — Ps 47:4 BSB

Believer, if your earthly lot is a humble one, be content with it, for you can trust that it is the best fit for you. Divine wisdom has appointed your situation and chosen for you the safest and best condition.

Imagine a large ship being navigated up a river. In some parts of the stream, there are dangerous sandbanks. If someone asked the captain why he steers the ship through the deeper water, taking a more indirect route, he would reply, “If I didn’t stay in the deep water, I would run aground and never make it to harbor.” In the same way, you might suffer shipwreck if your divine Captain didn’t steer you through the deep waters of affliction, where waves of trouble follow one after another.

Some plants wither in too much sunshine. It could be that you are planted in the shade by the loving Gardener because only in those conditions will you bring forth perfect fruit.

Remember, if any other situation were better for you than the one you’re in, divine love would have placed you there! God has put you in the most suitable circumstances, and if you could choose for yourself, you would eventually cry out, “Lord, choose my inheritance for me, for when I follow my own will, I bring myself much sorrow!”

Be content with what you have, knowing that the Lord has arranged everything for your good. Embrace your daily cross; it’s the burden best suited to your strength and the one that will most effectively shape you into Christlikeness. Quiet your restless self, and put down your impatience. It is not for you to choose, but for the Lord of Love to decide!

“Trials must and will befall—
But with humble faith to see
Love inscribed upon them all;
This is happiness to me!”