"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in
God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." - Psalm 43:5
Jeremy Taylor was born in 1613 in Cambridge, England. A student of John Milton,
he studied at the University of Cambridge and was ordained in
1633. In 1635, he was made chaplain to King Charles I. Taylor joined the
Royalist army as chaplain when civil war broke out in 1642, and after a Royalist
defeat in Wales in 1645 he was briefly imprisoned. Following his release, Taylor
turned to writing and produced his greatest works, including several devotional
books and a collection of daily prayers. Soon after the royalist defeat, while
he was imprisoned for his faith and he had his family estate confiscated from
him, that Taylor wrote the following: "I am fallen into the hands of publicans
and they have taken all from me. What now? They have not taken away my merry
countenance, my cheerful spirit, and a good conscience; they have still left me
with the providence of God, and all His promises - my hope of Heaven, and my
charity toward them, too, and still I sleep and digest, I eat and drink, I read
and meditate. And he that hath so many causes of joy, and so great, should never
choose to sit down upon his little handful of thorns."
No matter what the circumstances, Jesus Christ can rise above them and so can
our joy when we put our hope in Him. Are you downcast? Today in prayer, praise
and thank the Lord, for He will not abandon you, but He will come to your rescue
and make you a conqueror!
"Gratitude is not only the memory, but the homage of the heart - rendered to God
for His goodness." - N.P. Willis
God's Word: "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put
your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." - Psalm 42:5
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2001, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND
THANKSGIVING kennedy@devotional.com
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