21 Days of Prayer
Key Verse:
“The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
And with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7
Prompt:
This week’s focus: Pray First
One of the beautiful things about knowing Christ is that we aren’t walking through life alone. We have a God who protects and strengthens us, for which He deserves our continual praise! Give thanks to God today for His sustaining power and the joy we can find in His presence.
More:
Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
In our scripture reading from Psalms 28 today, David is still on the run, in the wilderness hiding from Saul to protect his life. Yet, he is still calling out to the Lord; we can hear his desperation in this Psalm from the very start. Although he does call the LORD his “rock” from the very start (remember this was often used to refer to a safe place), by the end of verse 1 he says, “...for if you remain quiet, I will be like those who go down to the pit.” Goodness, I don’t know about you, but I’ve certainly felt that way- so desperate to hear from God, and for him to hear my cries, and not sure I'd make it if He didn’t. Knowing that I am not alone in those feelings brings me a sense of comfort and peace.
Have you ever found yourself burdened by the wrong-doings and tragic events happening all around us, personally affected by others’ poor choices? David felt this way a lot, and we can see in verses 3 through 5 that he cries out to the Lord to punish them but also to protect him from getting caught up in their malice.
Verses 6 and 7 say: “Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” I hope these verses reassured you like they did me, that even though David was distraught and desperate a few verses prior, David knows in his soul that hope is coming- he knows God is a trustworthy, promises-keeper, so he praises him for what he has already done while he waits to see what He has planned next. "Worship in the waiting" is a phrase my family uses often and tries to put into practice even more. What better can we do while waiting to see the Lord work than to praise him? Complaining comes naturally to most of us, and it is so easy to do but finding a way to praise and worship him while remembering all the things he has done previously for you sure helps my spirits and outlook on life.
David ends this Psalm with my favorite two verses. He says, “The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.” That last part there; “be their shepherd and carry them forever.” Tara-Leigh Cobble says in her Daily Bible Recap for these scriptures how fitting it is that we are compared to sheep; they have a lot of enemies- like wolves and thieves- but their most dangerous enemy, like us, is often themselves. David was also a shepherd by trade, so it was basically like him praying for us, “protect them from their external enemies and protect them from themselves.” And y’all Jesus does! He protected David, and he has promised to protect us, too! Let’s rejoice in that promise today!
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: Father, thank You for using the waiting to mold us and draw us closer to You. Let us not get caught up in the chaos and complaining that comes with waiting but instead, use it as a time to worship and praise You. In Your name, we pray. Amen.