Devotions by Susan Barnes

Susan Barnes
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Weekly devotions that are inspirational, insightful, and concise. Currently selected from the book of Psalms.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Devotion#7 : Psalm 7:17

    “I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” Psalm 7:17 In the parable Jesus told about the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:23-34), the debtor was forgiven a huge debt, more than he could ever hope to repay in his lifetime. Instead of being thankful, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a comparatively small amount of money and demanded payment and when he couldn’t pay, had him thrown into jail. The parable is primarily about forgiveness, but it’s also about thankfulness.  We’ve been forgiven a huge debt. Our debt of sin that Jesus bore for us on the cross, is more than we could ever hope to repay in our lifetime. We live in a broken world with the evidence of sin constantly around us. We’ve become so accustomed to sin, we overlook its offence to a holy God.   Isaiah was a godly prophet but when confronted with the holiness of God, he said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies” (Isaiah 6:5). Peter had a similar experience (Luke 5:8) and so did John (Revelation 1:17). One day we will see Jesus, risen and glorified. Then we’ll fully realise the depths Jesus descended, to enter our sin-filled world.   In the meantime, every time we think of the Cross, let’s allow ourselves to be overwhelmed with thankfulness that God would step in and pay our debt. Let’s acknowledge the debt is more than we can ever repay and respond with great thankfulness and songs of praise. Let’s pray … Thank you Lord that you are just. Your justice demanded the debt of sin be paid, so you paid it yourself, on the Cross. I am forever grateful. In Jesus’ name Amen

  2. Jul 24

    Devotion#6 : Psalm 6:9

    “The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer.” Psalm 6:9 We have a God who hears. When we are heard, we’re acknowledged and validated as a person. We aren’t an invisible blob in a mass of humanity. We have worth and value. Our words matter. Elijah was brazen enough to mock the prophets of Baal for the lack of response from their god. “‘You’ll have to shout louder,’ he scoffed, ‘for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!’” (2 Kings 18:27). Whereas our God hears even the pleas of the foreign maidservant, Hagar. She is pregnant with Abraham’s child when she runs away from Abraham’s family. She finds herself in the desert where she meets the angel of the Lord who tells her to go back to Sarah. The angel of the Lord also tells her that she will have a son who she is to name Ishmael which means “God hears” (Genesis 16:11).  Everyone else in Hagar’s life ignores her worth. She lived in a culture that valued free, Jewish, men and she was none of these things. But God truly saw and heard her. He validated her as a person. Hagar created some of her own problems and some were inflicted on her by others. Either way God sees, hears and understands. Likewise, God hears and answers our prayers. But perhaps, not always in the way, we would like. Hagar may not have relished the idea of returning to Sarah.  David, Hagar and Elijah teach us that we have a God who hears the cries of the neglected, the forgotten and the overlooked.

  3. Jul 17

    Devotion#5 : Psalm 5:7

    “Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.” Psalm 5:7 During the eight years or so that David was in hiding from Saul (1 Samuel 24) he wasn’t free to travel. This meant he wasn’t able to gather with God’s people at the Tabernacle—not for the Sabbath and not for any of the festivals. There were three annual festivals that Jewish men were required to attend. In Exodus we read, “First, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread … the anniversary of [their] departure from Egypt … Second, the Festival of Harvest, when [they bring the Lord] their first crops … Finally, the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the harvest season … At these three times each year, every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the Lord” (Exodus 23:15-17).  The Psalms are full of David’s worship and praise to God and the years of not being able to do this corporately at the Tabernacle must have been hard on David. Yet he learnt to worship God wherever he was. When he was again able to attend, he had a profound sense of gratitude, expectation and excitement.  Every week we have the opportunity to freely gather with God’s people and express our worship to God through songs and prayers. There are many in our world today who aren’t free to do this or do so at the risk of their lives.  David didn’t worship out of obligation or how he was feeling at the time. Rather, he had decided to worship and not causally but with deepest awe. I wonder if we appreciate corporate worship and make every effort to celebrate God’s goodness with others.

  4. Jul 10

    Devotion#4 : Psalm 4:1

    “Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.” Psalm 4:1 I am innocent not because I’ve never done anything wrong but because Jesus has paid my debt and God, the Just Judge, has declared me innocent. We’re also not declared innocent because we have managed to remember all our sins and sought forgiveness for each one. In John’s letter, we read, “But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). As we seek to live in a way that pleases God, we’re living in the light. Therefore, we’re cleansed from all sin. While Jesus’ death on the cross was a one-time event that happened in history, the ongoing effect is that we constantly receive forgiveness. When Jesus died, all of my sins were in the future, but for Old Testament characters like David, all of their sins were before Jesus’ death on the cross. However, God is outside time, so when Jesus died it was for all time. In Hebrews we read, “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time” (Hebrews 10:10). “All time” meaning past, present and future. The adequacy of Christ’s death is remarkable in its scope across time.  Even though he’s declared innocent, David still asks God for mercy and to treat him better than he deserves. While we seek to live in a way that pleases God, we don’t always do so. Yet God knows the intentions of our hearts and continues to cleanse us from sin.

  5. Jul 3

    Devotion#3 : Psalm 3:3

    “But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.” Psalm 3:3 NLT In the book of Job, Satan complains to God about his protection of Job, “You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property” (Job 1:10). It places Satan in the position of having to ask God for permission to attack Job. Likewise, in the Gospels, we see Jesus tell Simon Peter,  “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32). From our perspective, we’re not aware of God’s shield around us, but we’re called to live by faith, not sight. Often, my experiences feel like God is giving Satan permission far too often! Yet, even the minor frustrations of life, are a test of faith. At these times, we remember Job and Peter and know they were strengthened and matured by their experiences. They were both able to bless and encourage others after their ordeals. Their faith was severely tested, but it didn’t fail. God holds us securely, he has placed a shield around us. Nothing happens to us without his knowledge or permission. The Good News Bible translates the second half of this verse from Psalms like this, “you give me victory and restore my courage.” When we have confidence in God, we have courage and can hold our heads high because we know we don’t face difficulties alone. God is with us, strengthening, encouraging, and growing us to be more Christ-like.

  6. Jun 26

    Devotion#2 : Psalm 2:12

    “Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!” Psalm 2:12 God is angry at sin. Sin has destroyed the perfect world that God created and deeply wounded the human race. God created people to commune with him, yet sin prevents or severely inhibits our closeness with him.  Most of the problems in our world are caused by sin. Even some natural disasters like floods and fires are exacerbated by sin. Sometimes governments have made unwise decisions based on greed or expediency that haven’t protected people’s property or livelihoods. Then, there are the obvious signs of sin – anger, envy, hatred and selfishness, that cause violence, fraud and manipulation. God has always been deeply troubled by the effects of sin. In Genesis, we read, “The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart” (Genesis 6:5-6).   On the cross, Jesus solved the sin problem. Now we have hope for the future because the power of sin has been broken and one day we will be removed from the presence of sin. This is the reason for our joy. We aren’t trapped in a broken world forever. One day we will see him face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV) and we will be able to commune with him as he always intended.

  7. Jun 19

    Devotion#1 : Psalm 1:3

    “They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.” Psalm 1:3 God likes to use metaphors and similes to describe the spiritual life. The Psalmist tells us we’re like a fruit-bearing tree. Mostly, the tree’s roots are hidden underground, and we don’t see them looking for water. Likewise, our spiritual lives have roots that aren’t obvious, but they are watered by God’s Spirit as we connect with him. In this Psalm, the focus is on connecting with God by meditating on his Word, but there are other ways - through prayer, through meeting with his people, through listening to hymns and spiritual songs.  The tree is planted. This is a purposeful act, not a casual sprinkling of seeds. God has transferred us from the kingdom of darkness and planted us in his kingdom. This is a deliberate act of God that happens when we choose to put our faith in him. It speaks of the security of knowing God is intentional about his purposes in our lives. He intends for us to grow spiritually strong and to be productive (Titus 3:14). No one plants a seed or seedling expecting a tree the next day. It’s a long-term project. Likewise, God has long-term plans to bring us to maturity. Trees bear fruit each season; they aren’t continuously busy producing fruit but have periods of preparation, rest and growing fruit to maturity. Likewise for us, there are times of spiritual growth, times of preparation and times of rest and restoration. Sometimes we would like to skip some seasons. Perhaps we don’t enjoy seasons of waiting or resting, as we prefer to be producing. But spiritual fruit, like natural fruit, is produced in seasons.

  8. Jun 8

    Pilot #0

    Welcome to the pilot episode of Susan Barnes Devotions. Susan introduces her weekly devotions, where she will share biblical wisdom, encouragement, and practical insights for everyday faith. Join us for a brief but meaningful reflection designed to inspire and strengthen your walk with God, starting on Friday, 19th June 2026.

  • 8 Episodes

About

Weekly devotions that are inspirational, insightful, and concise. Currently selected from the book of Psalms.

Information

  • Creator
    Susan Barnes
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Devotions by Susan Barnes