21 Days of Prayer
Key Verse:
“From heaven the Lord looks down
and sees all mankind;
from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth—
he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.” Psalm 33:13-15
Prompt:
This week’s focus: Pray First
Have you ever felt unseen or unimportant? Have you ever felt like you don’t matter? Be encouraged to know that the God of the Universe sees you and loves you with an unfathomable love. Because He created us, knows our hearts, and watches over us, we can boldly approach Him without fear of being rejected or ignored. Why wouldn’t we want to talk to Him about everything!? Ask God to help you grow in your relationship with Him this year, as you seek to know Him more and more.
More:
Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
Today in Psalm 33, we see David singing praise to God. He’s celebrating the Lord’s faithfulness, power, and wisdom. I love his opening verse here, “Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.” David is speaking to the righteous - the followers of God, and he calls us not only to sing to Him, but He says it’s only fitting for the upright, the righteous, to do so. It’s not just good for Christians to praise and worship, it is right and fitting. Of course, praising Him can look different for all of us. For me, it may be worshipping him through song, but maybe you find praising Him to come easiest for you in nature or by serving others.
The picture David paints for us in verses 13-15 brings me great comfort. It reminds me of being a kid and knowing if I was within the boundaries my dad had given me, the driveway, I was safe. If something went wrong, he’d hear my cries and could be there to help. So, to imagine our Father looking down from Heaven and seeing all of mankind, to know He is able to watch us, protect us, and guide our direction to a different kind of peace and courage for me. How reassuring that He can see and hear us much further than the driveway - and that he is always waiting, longing for us to call out to Him!
Verse 16 says, “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.” Coming from David, who was being sought after by a pretty powerful king with a pretty large army, this showed his faithfulness and confidence in God’s plan succeeding. It reminds me of the song Venture Worship sings often, “This is How I Fight my Battles.” Take a minute to listen to this song after this devotion. It doesn’t matter who is for us or who is against us; God’s already got the outcome written, and we can hold steadfast in the truth that He is going to be victorious.
We see the fear of God all throughout scripture. David says here in verse 18, “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in the famine.” Growing up, these kinds of verses never sat right with me; I never could understand why we’d fear a god who is loving, kind, and gracious. It felt like a threat, like I had a lot to be afraid of when I sinned. In fact, in full transparency, it’s verses like this that filled me with shame for years, that made me hide the things I felt would disappoint the people I loved, that made me feel unworthy of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness. It took me a long time (and a lot of therapy sessions) to understand that God’s call to fear Him was never a threat but just a call to delight and take awe in His power and majesty. I’m reminded of the storm David shared with us earlier in the week. The lightning and winds can give us reason to be afraid, but we know who is in control of those winds, and only He deserves our fear.
What’s the most natural way for you to praise or worship? Spend some time reflecting and listening to the Lord if you’re unsure. Your Campus Pastor or Guest Service Coordinator can also help you find your gift and get plugged into serving if you haven’t tried worshiping that way yet!
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: Dear God, we’re thankful for David’s examples of praising You! Thank You for the plans You have for us that we don’t know are coming or don’t understand why just yet. Thanks for Your faithfulness in proving time and again that Your plan is better than my plan. Your power and might are not lost on me, Father. I love You. Amen.