114th Week Psalm Chapters 20-24 (Click on Title for Video Intro)

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Click on Title for Video Introduction


Sunday, Christmas Day
Merry Christmas from the Salt Shakers who author the devotions!!  Biblical Shakers pray that your day of celebrating our Savior's birth with be very Special for each of you.  Love Came Down at Christmas!!!


Monday, Psalm Chapter 20
Theme:  A prayer for victory in battle.  Such a prayer can help us prepare for any great challenge.  David knew that trust should be placed in the Lord more than in human power.  
Author: David.  The events in II Samuel 10 may have prompted this sprayer.
 Psalms 20
Verse 4
Jane Jones

Verse 4:  May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

THOUGHT
David refers to the ‘desires of your heart’ several times in the Psalms. David tells us in this Psalm that the might of his nation is not in weaponry but in worship; not in firepower but in God’s power.  We need very much to be sure that our confidence is in God who gives eternal victory. 

Whom do you trust?  Once we find our trust in God, we can request the desires of our heart. David described all that he had as gifts from God--‘the desire of his heart’, rich blessings, a crown of pure gold, long life, splendor and majesty, eternal blessing, gladness.  We too must look upon all we have--position, job, family, wealth, health, talent--as gifts from God.  Only then will we use them to give glory back to him.

We must be sure that the desires of our hearts are aligned with our trust, faith and belief in our one, true Lord.

PRAYER
Lord, we pray daily for the desires of our hearts. Please forgive us when those desires are selfish ones. Once we realize that our desires become Your desires, we know our plans will succeed.  Use me to give words of encouragement this week. Thank You for our love and for giving us the desires of our hearts.  AMEN


Tuesday,  Psalm Chapter 21
Theme:  Praising God after victory in battle.  When God answers our prayers for victory we must quickly and openly thank Him for His help.  
Author:  David
Psalms 21
Verse 7
Jane Jones

Verse 7:  For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.

THOUGHT
Have you ever been in charge of a meeting or team and knew exactly what YOU wanted to do. I have. I have things all planned out and want things just so. Then we meet, and others have ideas, those of which I do not like. And you just believe and know that your way is the best.  WRONG!!!

The Bible tells us that a good leader trusts the Lord and depends upon His unfailing love. God is above our own cleverness, popular support, or power. If you aspire to leadership, keep the Lord God at the center of your life and depend on him. His wisdom is the best strength you can have.

We learn in Psalm that David trusted in God. God would not let David be shaken. When we trust in God, we have permanence and stability. We may lose a great deal one day--but we cannot be shaken from God’s favor. He will be our foundation of solid rock. He will never leave or desert us.

PRAYER
Dear Lord, we pray for our nation, for our military, for the family unit. We pray that we will once again become the salt and light of the world which we have neglected to do for quite some time now. We pray for our troops and their families.  Heavenly Father. Thank You for being our foundation and solid rock. What a feeling to have You under our feet.  AMEN


Wednesday, Psalm Chapter 22
Theme:  A prayer that carries us from great suffering to great joy.  Despite apparent rejection by his friends and God, David believed that God would lead him out of despair.  He looked forward to that future day when God would rule over the entire earth.  
Author:  David
Psalms 22
Verse 1
Jane Jones

Verse 1:  “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer by night, and am not silent.” (Yet you are holy)

THOUGHT
Have you ever felt just totally, and I mean totally alone.  Is it not just the scariest feeling in the whole world!  I can’t help but think of little babies.  Little babies come to mind because of my new grandson, little Micah. At night, when I am baby-sitting him, and he goes down for his bedtime, he cries.  I feel so badly because I know in my heart that he is scared and wants his Mommy and Daddy.  He is probably wondering, “Dad, Mom, why have you left me?”  It is the same feeling for him in the night when he wakes in the dark and is hungry.  He cries out.  In time he will learn that his Mom and Dad will never forsake him. It just takes us time to learn that we are going to be okay, and that God will never leave us or forsake us just as Micah’s Mom and Dad never will leave or forsake Micah.

This verse reminded me of when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Remember how Jesus cried out to his Father while hanging on the cross carrying our burden of sin just as Micah cried out to his parents. Jesus’s cry was not a cry of doubt but an urgent appeal to God.  When our cry becomes the urgent appeal, we must remember the promise of God’s everlasting faith, hope, and victory.

PRAYER
Dear Jesus, we thank You for being there when we cry out to You even when we are just little children.  We thank You for never leaving us nor forsaking us.  Thank You for Your unfailing love. AMEN


Thursday, Psalm Chapter 23
Theme:  God is seen as a caring shepherd and a dependable guide.  We must follow God and obey His commands.  He is our only hope for eternal life and security.  
Author:  David
Psalms 23
Verse 5
Jane Jones

Verse 5:  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

THOUGHT
This next weekend on May 11 and 12, I will have the privilege of attending a Christian Ladies Conference with my sister, Jeanie, my beloved friend. It is for Friday night and all day on Saturday. The lady that is leading the seminar is Beth Moore. She just wrote a book entitled Get Out of That Pit. I bought one for myself and one for Jeanie. I believe that her conference will address this.

I have read most of the book. Beth talks about how Satan gets ahold of us. First he distracts us; then we get addicted to what he distracts us with and then we self-destruct.

DISTRACTION-----ADDICTION------DESTRUCTION

Satan’s definite goal is to reap destruction, but that’s rarely his starting point.  His usual opening is distraction.  Scripture has a name for a small distraction that becomes a big distraction.  Its’ called a stronghold. Anything that becomes a bigger preoccupation in your mind than the truth and knowledge of God, anything that dwarfs His truth and knowledge in your imagination, is a stronghold.  In other words, if I have a relationship through which I can no longer prioritize Christ and His Word, Satan is building a Stronghold there.

Did you know that God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemy?  And get this also; He forces our enemy to watch as He anoints our heads with oil.  If the enemy has ever gotten one over on you, be ecstatic to be getting one over on him.

Salt Shakers, listen up a minute. God prepares a table before you in the presence of your enemy.  And guess what?  It can be decorated and surrounded by every single knickknack, vase, flower arrangement, and picture Satan ever stole from your place.  You can sit right down in that chair---the one he dragged out of your house right under your nose.  And don’t you get up from that chair until God anoints you with an overflow of the Holy Spirit that only comes to those most desperate for Him.  This is done RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR ENEMY’S EYES.

The Lord is my shepherd.  WE are going to a place Satan never intended.  Don’t you stop until the enemy is sorry he ever messed with you.

PRAYER
Dear Lord, when we have the Good Shepherd we have grace for every sin, we have direction at every turn, we have a candle at every corner, we have an anchor in every storm, and we have the dream of Heaven ahead of us.  We know from Psalm 23 that “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”.  Thank you, Dear Jesus, for Your Father giving us the 23rd Psalm.  We love You so much. AMEN


Friday, Psalm Chapter 24
Theme:  Everything belongs to God - the glorious sternal King.  Let us worship Him and welcome His glorious reign. 
Author:  David
Psalms 24
Verses 1-2
Bart Strayer

Verses 1-2:  The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

THOUGHT
Isn’t it cute thinking that we own stuff and have control over things?  It’s like when we were children; we really thought our bedroom was OUR BEDROON.  I mean; get real!  Every yard should have a sign in the front saying, “On loan from the ‘God Almighty’ collection.”

Wonder what God thinks of this real estate market?  Do you suppose He is thinking, “look at all those people paying top dollar for stuff that is Mine.”?  (May 2007)  Just joking.

But seriously, it is humbling to think that God has given us the gift of the earth for a time to be stewards over. We must not lose our focus of turning the gifts of this earth for God’s glory.

PRAYER
Lord, we thank You for the beauty of Your earth.  We marvel at Your creation.  Give us the guidance we need to be Godly stewards of Your resources.  May we always give You all the glory You deserve.  AMEN










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