Words of Hope Daily Devotional
START EVERY DAY WITH HOPE
Get the Words of Hope Devotional and get daily encouragement to love God, read His Word, and meet with Him in prayer. Available in print and email.
START EVERY DAY WITH HOPE
Get the Words of Hope Devotional and get daily encouragement to love God, read His Word, and meet with Him in prayer. Available in print and email.
THE DEVOTIONAL IS AVAILABLE IN YOUR EMAIL AND IN PRINT.
The Words of Hope Devotional is a non-profit, donor-supported publication whose goal is to encourage readers to grow in faith through the practice of daily Bible reading and prayer.
DINNER WITH JESUS
Breakfast on the Beach
The Faithfulness of God
Read: Psalm 91
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you. (vv. 2-3)
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency? . . . I’ll send an officer to you right away.” While many of us may never hear these words, we all make that distress call, at one time or another, in our prayers to God for his protection, for us not to be afraid—of the night, the darkness, the destruction—of the dangers of life that lurk everywhere (vv. 5-6). We look to him to take us “under his wings” (v. 4) and let him be our “refuge” and our “fortress” (v. 2) in times of trouble.
Throughout Psalm 91, God is presented in several ways, but all of them deliver the same message: security. God is a high tower in whose shadow we can be concealed (v. 1), a mother bird shielding us (v. 4). God is a “safe house” in times of despair, and will save us in times of distress: we “will not fear” (v. 5); no harm will befall us; no disaster will come near us (v. 10). Crucially, this security is available because the psalmist claims it in God (vv. 2, 9).
For all that Psalm 91 says, it most definitely lets you know that when we make God our refuge, when we make that call for help, we can be assured in his faithfulness that he will receive us. So, next time we face fear, we can pray the words of Psalm 91 with confidence, claiming all its promised benefits because God in his grace chooses us.
As you pray, ask how you can surrender yourself in times of trouble.
About the Author
Ariana D. Den Bleyker is a Pittsburgh native currently residing in New York’s Hudson Valley. She is the author of two devotional poetry collections,To Be Held by the LightandWaking in the Light. She is an ordained deacon in the Reformed Church of America.
- Ariana Den Bleykerhttps://www.woh.org/author/ariana-den-bleyker/
- Ariana Den Bleykerhttps://www.woh.org/author/ariana-den-bleyker/
- Ariana Den Bleykerhttps://www.woh.org/author/ariana-den-bleyker/
- Ariana Den Bleykerhttps://www.woh.org/author/ariana-den-bleyker/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rev. First Last
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, including Why Doesn’t God Act More Like God, Christ in the Psalms, and A Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.

Dinner with a Tax Collector
Read: Luke 19:1-10 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. (v. 6) We have seen Jesus at a dinner where he was scrutinized, tested, and challenged by those who considered themselves to be irreproachable. But what happened

Dinner with a Pharisee—Kingdom Preview
Read: Luke 14:15-24 I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet. (v. 24) “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” (v. 15). These are the words of one of

Dinner with a Pharisee—Humility
Read: Luke 14:1-14 Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (v. 11) Have you ever been to a dinner where you felt like you were under special scrutiny? Maybe it was at

Jesus Feeds the 5000
Read: Mark 6:30-44 They all ate and were satisfied. (v. 43) One of the revealed names for God in the Old Testament is Jehovah Jireh—“the LORD will provide” (Gen. 22:14). This name is certainly true of the Lord Jesus. So

An Uncomfortable Dinner
Read: Luke 7:36-50 [Jesus] said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (v. 50) Every eye in the place was on her from the moment she entered the house. There were smirks, low chuckles, heads shaking—they

Levi’s Feast
Read: Luke 5:27-39 Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others. (v. 29) He was at home here, with these people, and they enjoyed his company. There was