Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Psalms 144
Set – Psalms 144; Revelation 1
Go! – Jeremiah 52; Psalms 143-144; Revelation 1
Psalms 144
1 Blessed be the Eternal, my rock.
He trains my hands for war, gives me the skills I need for battle.
2 He is my unfailing love and my citadel.
He is my tower of strength and my deliverer.
He is my shield of protection and my shelter;
He holds my people in check under me.
3 O Eternal One, what is man, that You even care to know him?
or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
4 Humans are like a passing breath;
their time on earth is like a shadow that passes over us during the day and soon is gone.
5 Eternal One, stretch out an opening in the heavens, and descend.
Touch the mountains, and make them smoke.
6 Send forth bolts of lightning, and scatter my enemies.
Shoot Your fiery arrows, and rout the enemy.
7 Reach down from Your high place;
save me out of the great waters;
rescue me from the grasp of these foreigners
8 Who speak only lies
and don’t have truth in their deeds.
9 To You, my God, I will sing a new song;
I will sing Your sweet praises to the sound of a ten-stringed harp,
10 For You deliver kings from their enemies
and You rescue Your servant, David, from the sword of evil.
11 Rescue me,
and save me from the grasp of these foreigners
Who speak only lies
and don’t have truth in their deeds.
12 May our sons be like healthy plants
as they grow and mature,
And may our daughters be like the corner pillars
that decorate a palace.
13 May our storehouses be full
with abundant supplies of every crop,
And may the flocks of our fields
multiply into thousands and tens of thousands!
14 May our cattle be strong and productive,
without miscarriage, without loss,
and may there be no riots or protests in our streets!
15 Happy are the people for whom all this is true;
happy are the people whose God is the Eternal!
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Did you notice David’s pattern of prayer in his psalm? He recognized who I am. He asked for protection. He praised Me again. He asked for protection. He gives a blessing to My people. That’s not a bad way to think about prayer. Praise and blessings need to outweigh your petitions. But then, when you focus your attention on Me, it will.
As you walk with Me, you’ll find your prayers turning that direction. It’s not that I’m not interested in your petitions. I am. I’m interested in every aspect of your life. But you’ll find that the closer you walk with Me, you’ll become more interested in My plans than yours. You’ll want to know more about what I want from you than what you want from Me. You’ll begin to see the world around you from a whole new perspective. You begin to see with kingdom eyes.
I told you that you would be in the world but not of the world. You’ll see the world with My eyes. You’ll see it’s needs. You’ll see it’s evil. You’ll see it’s false wisdom. You’ll see it’s idolatry. You’ll see it’s selfishness. You’ll see it running toward hell.
You will see My tears as I cry for My creation and long for souls to listen to My followers. You’ll see My tears as those who say they believe in Me sit on the side lines and watch passively as thousands around them race past them oblivious to the fact that they are destined for destruction. You’ll see why I sorrow as you observe the spiritual state of humankind. And you’ll long to do something about it.
Like David and My prophets you will pray. You will ask Me to intervene and praise Me for what I’ve done for you. You will recognize My power to save and sing praises because of it. You will ask Me to help you stop the flood of people rushing toward destruction and praise Me for using you in whatever way I choose to do so. You will ask Me to bless all who are part of My plan to share the message of salvation and pour out your heart to Me in thanksgiving because of who I am and what I do for you each day.
Walk with Me and watch your prayer life change. David’s did. All My followers change because I won’t let you stay the way you are. I want you to become more like Me. Dig in and learn from Me.
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