“I’m Blessed”
But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish. Psalm 9:18
One day I walked into the soup kitchen where I volunteer and encountered a regular, whom I’ll call Roy. “How ya doing?” I asked.
He responded with a broad smile, then said, “I’m blessed.”
Roy was homeless. He’d been camping in a nearby wooded area for several weeks. When I stopped to chat with him that morning, he was headed toward the soup kitchen’s free laundry facility. After he loaded up a washing machine, he’d visit the men’s bathroom to take a shower.
Knowing his situation, I asked, “Why are you feeling so blessed today?”
“Because Jesus saved me. Because he blessed me with a good breakfast and I’m going to have a good lunch too. You’re cooking it, right?”
I nodded. “We’re making chicken pot pie today.”
Roy left, but his words lingered in my mind: “I’m blessed.” His confidence in God’s goodness and gratefulness for God’s provision touched my heart and inspired me to thank God for my blessings.
Sometimes we want to put a question mark at the end of a verse like Psalm 9:18. We wonder if God truly cares for the needy and afflicted. The Center for American Progress reports that 36.8 million people live below the poverty line in the USA, and 11 million of them are under age 18. Feeding America says that 47 million people in the USA are considered food insecure, including 14 million children. Thousands more lose homes and possessions in natural disasters such as Hurricane Helene and the California wildfires. [1]
But Roy and other Christians I meet at the soup kitchen assure me that God hasn’t forgotten them. He meets their needs in various ways: clothing donations, temporary housing, job and life-skills training, and food boxes.
The Bible doesn’t reveal what situation motivated David to write Psalm 9. But his pattern of praising God for past blessings (vv. 1-9) and trusting him to provide future blessings (vv. 10-16) is a model for us.
What hardship are you battling today? Follow Roy and David’s example. Thank God for past blessings and express confidence in future ones. He’ll supply the hope if we supply the gratitude.
DIG DEEPER
Read Psalm 9. What is David thankful for in this psalm? What inspires his confidence that God “does not ignore the cry of the afflicted”? (v. 12)
Read Luke 8:26-39. How did Jesus meet the needs of the wretched man in this story? In what ways has he met your needs recently?
Read Joel 2:18-27. God promised the Israelites great abundance after a period of great deprivation. How can these verses encourage us in times of loss?
Denise K. Loock
This devotion is part of series on the But God events of the Bible.
*Not his real name.
[1] Center for American Progress. Talkpoverty.org. Access date June 24, 2025. https://www.americanprogress.org/data-view/poverty-data/. Feeding America. feedingamerica.org. Access date June 24, 2025. https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america