Sometimes we come before God groaning. Crying. Pleading.
It is in those moments when we must remind ourselves of the character of God. What we have seen him do in the past.
Then we remind ourselves that, because of Jesus, we have access to this mighty, holy, powerful God. We can enter his presence, bow before him, and know that our prayers are heard.
The life of the wicked will end in rejection but the life of the righteous will end in rejoicing.
👉 So many of the psalms flow this way – from groaning to rejoicing. This is the power of prayer.
Child, may the Lord be quick to answer you when you are struggling, hurting or lonely. May the name of God protect you when you aren’t even aware that you need protection.
May He send you help when the enemy seeks to do you harm and may His angels support you when you’re too weak to stand.
May He remember all your acts of obedience and regard with favor your pleas for forgiveness.
May He grant your heart’s deepest desires and give you success wherever He leads you.
Your mama will shout for joy over your salvation and I will praise God for what He has done in your life. My child, God knows how to protect what is His.
You be faithful to listen because your God is faithful to speak. There is no hole so deep, no mistake so grave that His mighty right hand can not save you.
Some people around you will place their trust in money, power, government, popularity, or prestige. Not us, dear one. Our trust is in the name of the Lord our God and nothing or no one else.
You watch because, in the end, they will all collapse and fall while God’s people rise and stand tall.
O, Lord , save my children and answer them when they call.
So many times, over the last four months, I’ve felt anxious and unsure. What does the future hold? Will people ever feel safe again? Will isolation become the norm?
I don’t know about you but, when my mind begins going those places, my sleep suffers. I am restless. I wake up more tired than when I went to bed.
This psalm gives some clear direction on what to do when we are in distress.
👉 Remember God’s faithfulness in the past (vs1.)
👉 Remember that you belong to the Lord (vs 3.)
👉 Remember to ponder and pause – listen to the Lord (vs 4.)
👉 Remember to trust the Lord (vs 5.)
👉 Remember what the Lord has given – joy, peace, security (vs 7-8.)
Then, when we remember these truths – look at the reward!
In peace, I will BOTH lay down and sleep… verse 8
Not lay down and toss and turn.
Not lay down and worry.
Not lay down and dwell on all the regrets of the past.
Not lay down and wallow in the fear of the future.
There are so many voices in the world today. It can be tempting to listen to the loudest or, to be so focused on the loudest voice, that we aren’t listening for the Lord’s voice.
It was the same in David’s day. He was being inundated with the voices of the many.
👉 Many are my foes… 👉 Many are against me… 👉 Many are saying…
But notice how he stopped himself and redirected his thoughts. He reminded himself, “But, You, O Lord…” In a noisy world, we have to regularly redirect our attention away from the many and toward the master.
I couldn’t stop thinking about what “the many” were saying. That there was no salvation in God for David. No help. No hope. No future.
👉 Who does the world say is too far gone? Hopeless? Beyond the reach of grace? Never going to change? Not worth our efforts?
The world, my friends, is wrong.
The Lord declares that “whoever” calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. If there is still breath in their lungs, there is still hope. We can’t give up on people. . . . .
