Preaching Daily - August 22

Today's Devotional Insight...

The Soul’s Trust in the Sovereign’s Care

This excerpt comes from David Powlison’s new book God’s Grace in Your Suffering and is titled The Soul’s Trust in the Sovereign’s Care. The excerpt looks at 1 Peter 4:19 which says “Let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” and what that means for my suffering.

The classic text whose pastoral application too often misfires into stoicism is 1 Peter 4:19: “Let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”

Even as you read those words, does it sound like the Bible puts the damper on heartache? Is Peter teaching a sanctified version of calm detachment and dutiful self-discipline? Is he saying: “It doesn’t really matter that you’re suffering. God’s in control, so just keep up your quiet time and fulfill your responsibilities”? Does God make the deep waters only waist deep? Does he canalize the rivers of woe, so they flow gently between banks of riprap? Does he sanctify distress by making it unstressful? Does he call you to ignore what’s going on around you in order to get on with being a Christian? Look carefully at how to entrust your soul to a faithful Creator. You’ll never read 1 Peter 4:19 in the same way. What does that entrusting really look like?

First, consider David’s Psalm 28 (paraphrased here). It gives a pithy, passionate example of what it means to entrust your soul to the sovereign God:

To you, Lord, I call.

My Rock, don’t be deaf to me.

If you don’t answer me, I will die.

Hear the voice of my supplications,

my cry for help to you. (28:1–2)

(To read the full article, click here.)

Today’s Pastoral Resource...

Preaching Media

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