Daily Devotion

Voice: Keith Lim

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Today is Monday, 4th of May. We give thanks for the start of another week.  

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Psalm 71:1-12

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
    let me never be put to shame!
² In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
    incline your ear to me, and save me!
³ Be to me a rock of refuge,
    to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.

⁴ Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
    from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
⁵ For you, O Lord, are my hope,
    my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
⁶ Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
    you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.

⁷ I have been as a portent to many,
    but you are my strong refuge.
⁸ My mouth is filled with your praise,
    and with your glory all the day.
⁹ Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
    forsake me not when my strength is spent.
¹⁰ For my enemies speak concerning me;
    those who watch for my life consult together
¹¹ and say, “God has forsaken him;
    pursue and seize him,
    for there is none to deliver him.”

¹² O God, be not far from me;
    O my God, make haste to help me!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.

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Numbers 9:15-23

¹⁵On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. 
¹⁶So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. 
¹⁷And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. 
¹⁸At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 
¹⁹Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. 
²⁰Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. 
²¹And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. 
²²Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. 
²³At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses. 

This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

Guided by His Presence

In this passage, we see a striking picture of God’s guidance over His people. The cloud covered the tabernacle by day, and at night it appeared like fire. This visible manifestation of God’s presence determined everything for Israel.

When the cloud lifted, they set out.
When the cloud remained, they stayed.

Sometimes it lingered for a day.
Sometimes for months.
At times, even for a year.

And the refrain is repeated again and again:

“At the command of the Lord they encamped, and at the command of the Lord they set out.”

At first glance, this may seem like mere travel guidance. But in reality, it was spiritual formation for the young nation of Israel.

They had to learn attentiveness to God’s presence. Their movement was not driven by preference, urgency, or convenience—but by obedience. They could neither rush ahead nor lag behind.

In our world, we are accustomed to planning ahead. We map out our “travel dates and times” with precision. We like clarity, structure, and control.

But do we know how to wait on the Lord?
Are we able to discern what He is doing—or what He desires to do?

The deeper question is not:

“What should I do next?”

But first:

“Where is the Lord, and what is He doing?”

For those in ministry especially, this is crucial.

Activity without attentiveness leads to exhaustion. But obedience rooted in His presence brings peace—even when the way forward is unclear.

The same God who led Israel by cloud and fire now leads us by His Spirit. The outward sign may no longer be visible, but the inward reality is no less real.

As the apostle Paul reminds us in Epistle to the Romans 8:14:
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.”

We pray this Celtic prayer. It expresses a life surrounded, sustained, and saturated by the presence of Christ.

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

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Be blessed by this song, From Everlasting

O God, before the mountains were brought forth
Or days of spring and summer filled the earth
From everlasting, You are God

We dwell beneath the stars in ancient skies
A thousand years are nothing in Your sight
From everlasting, You are God

And all our days are held within Your hands
Your perfect love and favor have no end
We rest within the wisdom of Your plan
Everlasting God

O God, when joy and tragedy collide
And loss reminds us life is but a sigh
From everlasting, You are God

O God of light our ways are known to You
But by Your grace You’re making all things new
So satisfy us in our numbered days
Establish every effort while we wait
From everlasting, You are God

Link to today’s Morning Office