115th Week Psalm Chapters 25-29 (Click on Title for video Introduction)

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 Click on Title for Video Introduction



Monday, Psalm Chapter 25
Theme:  A prayer for defense, guidance, and pardon.  As we trust in God, He grants these same requests for us.  
Author:  David
Psalms 25
Verses 9 & 14
Bart Strayer

Verse 9:  The Lord guides the humble in what is right.
Verse 14:  The Lord confides in those who fear him.

THOUGHT
I have noticed that as I walk the Christian life, the truths in God’s Word regarding humility are shown over and over. In order for God to increase, we must decrease.  Whenever I am the weakest, God is the strongest.  

I have noticed this lately as I ramped up some of my review for the CFA exam. If you want a humbling experience, go and study for a professional certification or charter.  Man, when I get done with a study session, I feel pretty ignorant.  As I reflect back, it is in those times that I felt the smallest.  God was moving in incredible ways. 

It is true.  When we are weak, God is strong.

PRAYER
Lord, we ask You to show Your power in the humbling times of our lives.  Be that never—ending source of strength in our lives.  Show Your Glory through our testimony.  AMEN


Tuesday, Psalm Chapter 26
Theme:  Declaring loyalty to God.  If we are genuinely committed to God, we can stand up to opposition and examination.  
Author:  David, possibly written during the days of Absalom's rebellion.  
Psalms 26
Verse 2
Bart Strayer

Verse 2:  Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.

THOUGHT 
This is one of those prayers that can be very painful for us.  Sometimes I don’t think we know what we are praying.  We use powerful action words like ‘test me’, ‘mold me’, etc.  Do you realize what you are saying?   These are great prayer action words but when God answers them . . . . the testing . .. the molding . . . can be life changing.  

That process is not always pleasant.  Then we start complaining, saying “Why God?”, and He is saying, “Look, I am just answering your prayer.”  

God has molded me more in the valleys of my life than on the mountain tops.....if you get my drift.

PRAYER
Lord, thank You for this wonderful week in Your Word. As much as we may complain at times, we thank You for the times that You choose to mold us into Your liking. AMEN


Wednesday, Psalm Chapter 27
Theme:  God offers help for today and hope for the future.  Unwavering confidence in God is our antidote for fear and loneliness.  
Author:  David
Psalms 27
Verse 1
Matt Strayer

Verse 1:  The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?

THOUGHT
I have been told that fear is the strongest of all human emotions. It is even stronger that love.  Fear is an emotion that can ultimately take control of our lives.  As we see reading through the Psalms, David experienced a lot of fear.  We know David was anointed king at the age of 16 but did not become king until he was 30.  King Saul who was jealous, chased David in the desert trying to kill him.  Later, his rebellions son Absalom tried to kill him. There were many other battles and wars that David faced so we know that he was very accustomed to the feeling of fear.

I feel we can learn a couple of things from this.  First of all, if the man who brought down Goliath with a single stone feels fear, then it is probably OK if I feel that emotion at times.  Secondly, the majority of the Psalms would probably not have been written if it wasn’t for the emotion of fear.  We see that time and time again as David cries out to God in the heavens for help.  So I will say it again; stand firm in the Lord your God. He is our true protector.

PRAYER
Dear God, thank You so much for Your guiding light in times of darkness. Help each one of us to trust in You when we are overcome by fear.  AMEN


Thursday, Psalm Chapter 28
Theme:  Prayer when surrounded by trouble or wickedness.  God is our only real source of safety.  Prayer is our best help when trials come our way because it keeps us in communion with God.
Author:  David
Psalm 28
Verse 3
Jeanie Boldt

Verse 3: Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts.

THOUGHT
It is easy to pretend friendship.  Wicked people often put on a show of kindness or friendship in order to gain their own ends.  David, in his royal position, may have met many who pretended friendship only to meet their own goals.  David knew that God would punish them eventually, but he prayed that their punishment would come swiftly.  True believers should be straight forward and sincere in all their relationships.

I couldn’t help but think of my daughter’s teenage years. Oh, my goodness, one day she would come home with Friend 1 being her best companion only to experience a hurting heart the next day when Friend 1 acted in a hurtful way.  She was not loyal in her feelings and sought out another friendship for her own gain.  

Are our actions for our gain no matter what the cost, even a friendship?  Jesus set a great example of agape love.  Actions that are done with the thoughts of others coming before our own is called “Unconditional Love”.  That is the pattern we must follow.


PRAYER
May our actions for our friends not be fake.  May we show them respect and work hard at caring for them no matter what they have done.  Give us the spirit of a servant and the attitude of Christ so that we may be REAL friends showing a genuine attitude of caring.  Help us forgive those who wrong us.  We pray for your punishment.  Take vengeance from us.  Help us guard our hearts.  Give us kind, gentle and caring tongues as we share fellowship with others.  Help us love the people who are difficult to love. Thank You for how You love us!!! AMEN


Friday, Psalm Chapter 29
Theme:  God reveals His great power in nature.  We can trust God to give us both the peace and the strength to weather the storms of life.  
Author:  David
Psalm 29
Verse 5
Jeanie Boldt

Verse 5: The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

THOUGHT
The cedars of Lebanon were giant trees that could grow to 120 feet tall and 30 feet in circumference.  A voice that could break the cedars of Lebanon would be a truly powerful voice—the voice of God.  I think during thunderstorms that the Lord is talking to us in His way.  I am uncertain as to what, but I do know that it is a sound from the Heavens.

We were able to visit Heather and David in California and visit parks where the Red Wood Sequoia’s lived.  How majestic and powerful they were.  They gave you a feeling of how small and insignificant you are.  They displayed strength, and when compared to the voice of God, Yes, I would call it strong and powerful. 

There are times when we are seeking guidance that we so wish the Lord would speak to us in such a voice so that we would know what to do.  When we were in the forests and in the center of the trees, there was also a quiet hush that you could feel as you only heard the sound of the wind moving between them or moving the small branches themselves.  The whisper of a soft silence also demonstrates His mighty presence.

Yes, God reveals His great powers in nature.  We can trust God to give us both the peace and the strength to weather the storms of life.

PRAYER
Our God and Creator, we see Your strength daily in the things that You have created.  Help us seek that power and glory as we journey on our daily pathways.  Make known to us the things You would want us to know and quiet our hearts and spirits as You demonstrate Your peace in our surroundings.  We love Your trees.  We love seeing the sun shine through the leaves, the raindrops set on the leaves, the leaves change with the seasons, the various trunk sizes and leaf patterns and the strength of some and the fragility of others. YOU ARE AN AMAZING GOD!!  Thank You for showing us through nature. AMEN





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