Morning Devotion with Dr. D

Written by Dr. D. Roy Bramwell

Today’s Verse
As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!

Psalm 40:11 ESV

Devotion

I’ll never forget the day I realized that God truly knows me personally. In the past, I had done things I deeply regretted—things sinful and wrong—and I was burdened with pressing questions about unconditional love. Could God really extend it to someone like me? I carried the weight of trauma, including time in the justice system, where I experienced the pain of being arrested and restrained for a suspended license, yes – my license was suspended and it’s against the law to operate a vehicle with one of those.

Then, I read the poignant words in today’s verse: “You will not restrain your mercy.” This struck me deeply, as I remembered being physically shackled and restrained by police officers. At that moment, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God’s mercy had the power to erase even the most significant debts of sin. I envisioned those steel shackles being broken—symbolizing the freedom that comes with forgiveness.

That realization brought me a pure sense of spiritual freedom. Knowing that God Himself would never “restrain His mercy from me” meant that He wouldn’t hold me captive for my sins. Instead, His mercy is an ocean of forgiveness (Micah 7:19).
Truly, God’s love is the only love that is completely unconditional, because God is love (1 John 4:8).

In another translation of today’s verse, I read: “Lord, I know you will never stop being merciful to me; your love and loyalty will always keep me safe.” Around the same time, I found a similar affirmation in another devotional. It said, “I am your safe place. I am love. You are looking for an answer, and I want you to know I am the answer because I am love.” These words quieted the anxiety I had been carrying about whether I was truly forgiven.

Together, these readings confirmed that God is my safe place. He is love. He saw what I was reading, cared enough to confirm it, and settled my spirit with security.

During this season, let God’s love embrace you! He will never fail to personally prove His love for you.