SNAPPING, SNARLING, THOUGHTS - All Our Daily Bread Daily Devotionals for 2026

Our Daily Bread - Saturday, August 1, 2015
by RBC Ministries

Details

SNAPPING, SNARLING, THOUGHTS

READ:
Psalm 59

You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.
-Psalm 56:16

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Psalm 57-59
Roman 4

Many years ago, my father and I hiked through Big Bend in Texas. It is a national park now, but in those days it was rough country.
One night we were rolling out our sleeping mat when a couple with a dog asked if they could camp nearby. We welcomed their company and turned in for the night. They tethered their dog to a stake beside their tent.
Some hours later, my father nudged me awake and turned his flashlight in to the darkness. Illuminated by the light, we saw pairs of yellow eyes peering out of the shadows. A pack of snapping and snarling coyotes were closing in on the dog. Although we chased them off and our neighbors put the dog in their tent, we slept fitfully.
I think of that night when I read Psalm 59 and David's twice repeated imagery; "At evening they return ,they growl like a dog"(vv,6,14). David was thinking of Saul's army that was closing in on him. I think, however, of the thoughts that return to menace us. They come back at nightfall, snapping and snarling: "You are stupid" "You are a failure" "You are useless" "Who needs you?"
When we have such thoughts, we can revel in God's unconditional, unending love. His steady devotion is our refuge in the dark night of self doubt and fear(v.16)- David Roper
Dear Lord I am so thankful that you love me unconditionally. Please chase away destructive thoughts that keep returning to take away my confidence in you and your work in me. I want to rest in you and your love.

Knowing that God loves us can dispel doubt.

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