Police Devotion 8/26/2016
“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” (Psalm 62:8)
When you read the Bible, think about what you’re reading. 1 Timothy 4:15 says to “meditate upon these things”—things from the Bible. Don’t just plow through it so you can say that you read it. That’s like cheating when you do pushups. When you cheat, you defeat the purpose of doing pushups. When you read the Bible thoughtfully, you can better catch things that the Lord uses to touch your heart.
Our verse says, “Trust in him at all times.” As a cop, you know what it means to trust someone. When you’re in the passenger seat of a patrol car as your partner speeds, lights-and-siren, through traffic to a call or in a pursuit, you’re literally trusting him with your life. If you’re doing a building search on a burglary call, you’re trusting other cops on the scene to help you if you find a suspect hiding inside.
In the same way and even more so, you can trust the Lord at all times, even on the job. Most police calls aren’t handled in a cut-and-dried manner. Some are, but many involve judgment calls: “Should I enforce the law strictly, or cut some slack? If I handle this a certain way, how could it turn out?” In times like these, it’s a good idea to pray quietly for wisdom. Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the LORD giveth wisdom.”
You may already have a good idea of how to handle a matter, but it’s always good to pray anyway. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” You might pray something like, “Lord, I have an idea how to handle this, but if I need to do something differently, please guide me.” It will amaze you how God answers prayer and strengthens your faith.
Psalm 37:3 also says, “Trust in the LORD, and do good.” Along with trusting the Lord, comes doing things the right way. Unfortunately, you may meet officers who don’t do things right. They may think that the end justifies the means. Or that “sometimes you do what you have to do,” but doing things the wrong way is an invitation for God’s chastisement, not His blessing. Do things the right way, even if the wrong way seems better. Then trust God to work out the details.
Our verse also says, “…pour out your heart before him.” As a cop, you deal with awful things that you can’t discuss with most people. However, there’s nothing that God can’t understand, that shocks Him, or that He can’t help you with. If a problem or temptation is troubling you, God knows it already: “…I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.” (Ezekiel 11:5). While that thought is convicting, it is also comforting. So tell the Lord in detail what’s bothering you—“pour out your heart before him.”
“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! Oh what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” What a Friend We Have in Jesus (Joseph M. Scriven, Charles C. Converse)
Our verse says, “God is a refuge for us.” A private place with God’s Word and prayer is a place of refuge.
Most importantly, if you’ve not received the Lord Jesus as your personal Saviour, please click “Helpful Links” in the top menu and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?” on the drop down menu.
Brian Miller 8/26/2016
Cleveland Baptist Church | 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 | 216.671.2822