21 Days of Prayer
Key Verse:
"You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry." Psalm 10:17
Prompt:
This week's focus: Live by Faith
Today, praise God for being a Father who cares for His children. God sees us and hears our cries, and He won't abandon us. Thank Him for a specific time when you felt His help and comfort in your life. Then, ask God to help you live a life of faith, even in difficult seasons.
Have you seen others around you struggling with grief, depression, financial hardships, or illness? Lift them to the Father and ask Him to send the encouragement and help they need.
More:
Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.
As I’m writing this devotion, it’s just before Christmas. My eight-month-old is sleeping soundly, our Christmas tree is glowing in the background, our home smells of every Christmasy scent known to man, and “90’s Country Christmas Radio” plays softly through our living room speaker. Life is better than good. But, we know just like the cold weather comes and goes, seasons of life prove themselves to be just as fleeting. While reading through Psalms 10 and 11, it’s incredibly easy to focus on the feelings of dread that such lamentations bring. When reading a passage of scripture such as this, David’s anguish in these verses highlights the particularly important message embedded within these two chapters: The Lord is faithful.
Three sections of these chapters, to me, are the most prominent. Let’s take a look at chapter 10. We see the Psalmist cry out to the Lord in verse 1: “Why do you stand afar off, O lord?” I can think of so many times I’ve felt distant from the Lord, and maybe you can, too. Although it’s easy to feel hopeless in a period of silence, we have to remember that there is always a purpose for the waiting. Psalm 10:2-11 describes evil in its most pure form. Moving on to verses 14-18 though, there's an obvious contrast in tone. Psalm 10:17 tells us:
“Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their hearts; you will cause Your ear to hear...” This verse begs the question – what is He preparing our hearts for?
Let’s jump ahead a little bit to Psalm 11:5. “The Lord tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence, His soul hates.”
How often do we find ourselves in seasons where we are feeling pressure from every direction? Maybe you’re a student working your way through finals, maybe you’re in the middle of a painful breakup, maybe work is toxic, or maybe you're dealing with the loss of a loved one. Whatever the case may be, pain is pain, and stress is stress. Feelings of hope, faith, and joy only get harder to reconcile as we face difficult circumstances. It’s vital to our faith that we keep in mind that the Lord is preparing our hearts and strengthening us for the tests to come. I’m reminded of an analogy I heard years ago in a sermon. Gold is melted down and solidified over and over again to remove its impurities. Likewise, the Lord often allows us to be broken down simply to build us back up into even better condition than before – with a strengthened faith and hope. Each trial we face is an opportunity for God to refine us. It’s important that we thank the Lord for opportunities to experience his faithfulness firsthand. Pray today with a thankful heart that when tests come your way, your heart will be ready to receive whatever wisdom those tests may bring.
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.
Reflection:
- Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.
- SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
- OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises?
- APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you?
- PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.
- Prayer: Father, thank You for your grace. Thank You for your mercy. Thank You for your love. Show me Your ways. Teach my heart to seek after You. I praise You for Your unyielding faithfulness, and I pray, Lord, that You would continue to break me down and rebuild me into a more righteous person.