21 Days of Prayer
Key Verse:
“Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.” Psalm 31:24
Prompt:
This week’s focus: Pray First
To “take heart” means to stand firm or be courageous in the face of any danger or trial. The more we grow in our relationship with God, spend time in prayer, and read His Word, the more our confidence in Him abounds. Praying first allows us to firmly plant our feet in the truth of His Word. Pray today that you can take heart and find hope in Jesus Christ!
More:
Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
Today’s reading has us in Psalms 31 and 32, again both written by David.
Psalm 31 has a theme we often see with David where he brings his laments or complaints before the Lord but always begins his prayers with praise, then brings his requests or laments, and ends with more praise. It’s like he’s reminding us of who God is, and that He can complete our requests before we even make them. He praises God in chapter 31 as being our stronghold and rock of refuge. In verses 1-5, David used a synonym for God being our refuge about 8 times! The definition of refuge is a place of shelter, protection, or safety. It’s like he really wanted us to know there is protection, there is safety, and there is nothing to fear when being near to the LORD.
Verse 5 says, “Into your hands, I commit my spirit...” which Jesus quoted in Luke 23:46 before He breathed his last breath. He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” David is completely surrendering his spirit to the LORD; he fully trusts God with his life. If you’re thinking you haven’t managed to truly say that yet, don’t worry. This trust can only come from your personal experience and relationship with Jesus. It comes from spending time in His word and turning to Him in prayer consistently like we see David doing over and over this month. This trust comes from remembering God’s promises to us - the ones that have been fulfilled and the ones that are yet to come.
Psalm 32 brought a different theme for the week; it’s a maskil psalm which means it is more contemplative and reflective, and intended to bring wisdom and understanding to the reader. We also see a different side of David as he praises God’s forgiveness and mercy and repents of his own sins. David spells out clearly what happens when we try to cover or hide our own sins as he was doing. For most of us reading, I imagine you’re in Mississippi, so his idiom in verse 4, “My strength was sapped as in the heat of summer,” to describe his sin shouldn’t leave much explanation - and it’s a feeling I know I’ve had when being convicted to share my sins with the Lord instead trying to conceal them and keep them to myself - the heat starts in my stomach and crawls up to the tips of my ears and is as consuming of my energy as a muggy July day can be. But in verse 5, we see a shift when David acknowledges his sins before the Lord. He repents and uncovers his sin and allows God to cover it for him. This is what Jesus did on the cross for us, too. He doesn’t bless our sin, but he does cover it. He atones for it and pays for it - present, past, and future. Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” But there is conviction as we see David struggling with here. Tara-Leigh Cobble defines conviction as, “God the Spirit prompting us to grieve our sins and changing our hearts and actions to align with His will.” In her Daily Bible Recap, she said, “When the Spirit’s conviction comes, there’s no true rest or happiness until we repent.” I think we see clearly in David that his sins were weighing him down, and until he was able to bring them without any hindrance to the Lord, he couldn’t rejoice and be glad!
What sins have you been hiding and covering from Jesus? What’s an area that you need to be transparent with before the Lord? Find a friend you can trust to share these burdens with and go to the Lord together in prayer and repentance for your sins. Then, you can experience the freedom and joy that David had!
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: Heavenly Father, I am always amazed at how You use people to share wisdom and knowledge with us, and how You can see our hearts for the truth and forgive us of our sins over and over again. You are Sovereign, Lord, and for that, we are forever thankful. We love You. Amen.