21 Days of Prayer
Key Verse:
“I love you, Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:1
Prompt:
This week's focus: Live by Faith
Our rock, strength, deliverer, refuge, shield, horn - God cares for us and deserves all our praise! What name of God can you cry out in praise today?
Thank God for who He is and declare your love for Him.
More:
Head: Know God's Word | Heart: Love God | Hands: Follow God's Way
Read Psalms 18
Head
Wow! David’s opening line to this passage is amazing! “I love You, O Lord, my strength.” David praises God for delivering him from his enemies. The word “deliver” in this passage simply means that God rescued Him from danger. David tells us that his love and devotion to God is what allowed him to survive the threats of his enemies until God delivered him. David couldn’t have survived the danger and enemies he faced without the Lord. He even calls the Lord his strength. He describes how even in scary times of distress, he knew that God was there. David didn’t depend on armies or weapons to save him; he placed his trust in God, His Rock.
God heard his cries and, in His perfect timing, delivered David from evil. In turn, David gives all of the glory and praise to God alone – He is the only one who can save us!
Heart
Have you ever built a sandcastle at the beach? It's so much fun to put time and creativity into building the perfect sandcastle...until that first rogue wave hits and completely wipes it out. Then you have to start completely over. When we put our trust in God, we don’t have to worry about whether He will stand the test of time. He is never going away, and nothing can destroy Him. Check out what Matthew 7:24-27 says:
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Just like we learned earlier this week, we don’t have to be foolish. We can instead be a wise builder by putting our faith in God, living in the right way, and having a trust in Him that will never be washed away.
Hand
So how do we make sure we are a wise builder? Think back through what we’ve learned in the Psalms this week. The foolish make poor choices and don’t trust in God. The wise believe in God. They seek to be kind and help their neighbor. They put God first and trust that He will protect and provide for them. It isn’t always easy to be wise, but as followers of Christ, God calls us to be different from the world around us. We will all face difficult times and the brokenness of the world, but we can turn to God no matter what. I can recall difficult seasons of my life, where I knew I needed to trust God, even when it wasn’t easy. My faith grew much stronger, and I got to experience the joy and hope that can only come from God. God’s Word reminds us of this in Revelation 21:4-5:
“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”
No matter what pain, hurt, or fears we are facing, God is good and He is faithful! His words are true! Don’t ever doubt His love for you.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us hope. We trust in you and believe what You say. And when trials come and the enemy is knocking on our door, help us never take our eyes off You! For you alone are our hope and joy! You hear our prayers, and You see our tears. Help us to remain faithful and obedient to You even when we doubt. We love you! In Jesus’ name, Amen.