Daily Devotional

One day in 1875, William Cushing received what he described as a vision. In this vision, he saw a river rolling beneath him “like a mighty tide” and “an enchanted land” with hills and valleys that “were sleeping in a heavenly calm. It was more beautiful than words can tell.”

He realized God was giving him a glimpse of what He had prepared for His people. Thus inspired, Cushing wrote a hymn called “Beautiful Valley of Eden.”

The psalmist realized his nation faced serious problems. Their only hope was to turn to God. Acknowledging their sins, he pleaded with God for mercy to revive and save them.

Like the psalmist, we can be confident that God desires to help and save us. But there is a condition: We must not “turn again to folly” (v. 8). We must turn from our sins. We must please Him. Seek Him.

Like the psalmist, we can know that when God blesses us, mercy, righteousness, and peace will reign in the land. Instead of deceit and falsehood, the truth will “spring out of the earth.” God will “give what is good” (vs. 11-12). God will give a blessing, and the land will yield an increase. But for this to take place, we need His forgiveness. We need His favor and blessing.

God’s people should have remembered all He had done for them. He delivered them from bondage. He protected them and provided for them in miraculous ways. No foe was too big. There was no problem He could not solve. He never failed.

But when He directed them to enter the Promised Land, they hesitated. Instead of moving forward in faith, they sent spies into the land. Seeing giants and fortified cities, they concluded that defeat was inevitable. They even felt God must hate them.

It didn’t matter that God promised to go before them. Instead of rejoicing in His promises or being confident because of His faithfulness, they became discouraged and complained, allowing their hearts to be filled with fear.

Because of this disbelief, most were not allowed to enter the Promised Land. But God made an exception: Caleb and his children would be allowed to see the land. Joshua also was allowed to enter. Why were they so blessed? “Because [they] wholly followed the LORD.”

Caleb demonstrated an important principle. God has prepared special blessings for those who serve Him wholeheartedly, who trust Him completely, and who believe Him totally.

Caleb provides a model for us. We can trust God in every situation. What are the keys? Confessing His promises, believing His Word, moving forward by faith, not complaining but being thankful, and following Him with our whole hearts.

Have you ever thought about what Heaven is like? The Bible provides vivid images, but the words are often beyond our human vocabulary. How do we describe the indescribable?

One thing is sure: Heaven is filled with praise and worship. In the revelation given to John, he saw four living creatures surrounding God’s throne. These creatures never stop giving Him “glory and honor and thanks” (v. 9). They worship Him for creating all things. They know that by His will everything exists. They cannot help but praise Him!

Here on earth, we can experience something of what Heaven is like. In the midst of our daily lives, we can pause to spend time in worship. Regardless of what we face, we can focus on the Lord, thanking Him for all He has done; we can praise Him for giving us life and an eternal home, sending Jesus to die for us, forgiving our sins, and taking away our burdens. We can thank Him for all His promises.