The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 119:1–16 (day three)

⁷ I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. (ESV) 

What is your response to the Lord when you read His Word? It is easy to read the Word of God, if we are not careful, and not really “read” it. We might read the words on the page, but we might be preoccupied with other thoughts and feelings that cloud our understanding. I know I have struggled with this at times. On the other hand, we may miss all that God has in His Word because we simply do not spend the time in it that we should. Our understanding of His truth and Word is stunted with lack of time with Him in it.

Whatever the reasons that may get in the way of your reading and understanding, let me encourage you today. The good news is that God promises to help us understand His Word when we spend time with Him in reading it (Psalm 119:18, 130; James 1:5). Then, when we understand His Word, it gives us reason to praise! The more we understand about God through His Word, the more it causes us to praise Him. Worship is a byproduct of understanding God’s grace, love, mercy, and compassion, and we grow in that understanding by spending time in His Word. If you are struggling in your praise of the Lord, dive into His Word and ask Him to remind you of who He is!

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 119:1–16 (day two) 

Oh that my ways may be established To keep Your statutes! v. 5

The beginning of this epic psalm is daunting. From a casual reading it seems there are individuals who are walking perfectly in righteousness! That is enough to make any believer feel inadequate. I don’t think that is the intention of this psalm. Rather, I believe that it serves as a reminder to continually calibrate our lives toward the work and will of God. The psalmist had the law as the guidepost for how to live. We not only have the Word, but also the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Whereas the goal is to live a perfect life, the reality is we need a plumb line to show us what we are striving for; and perhaps even more importantly, how to realign when we stray off center. Take comfort in the knowledge that you are not being held to a standard without grace and without a way to recalibrate.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 62:1-12 (day seven)

My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation. Psalm 62:1

We live in a loud world. It seems as if there is almost always some sort of noise happening in the background. People walk around with headphones on like it’s an accessory. We have TVs in every room of the house. Not to mention smart speakers that will play anything we tell them to. Our cars have turned into giant cell phones used to communicate on our commute. All of this means that we rarely find ourself in silence, but isn’t that what  your soul craves? We need silence.

That is obviously very difficult, because even when we get noises around us to be quieted, our mind struggles to be silent. We fill the void with our thoughts, our supplications, our plans that we are bringing before the Lord. Yet, this waiting that God asks from us is a state of complete trust. It is surrendered silence. A place where we are not only quieting the background noise, but even quieting our own mind so that we can wait and listen for the Lord in silence. It is in that silence that He begins to speak to us, to encourage us, to guide us, and even to fight for us.

The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent. Exodus 14:14

When was the last time you sat with the Lord in surrendered silence?

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 62:1-12 (day six)

We often assume spiritual growth comes from discovering something new. A fresh insight. A clearer word. But Psalm 62:11 points us in a different direction: “God has spoken… and I have heard this again and again.” Maturity is not marked by constant novelty or chasing the next personal spiritual experience, but by faithful remembrance.

The life of faith is sustained by rehearsing what God has already said. The psalmist doesn’t move forward by seeking new revelation, but by murmuring truth, turning it over in his mind until it settles deep in his soul. Power belongs to God. This is not new information; it is a steadying reality.

We drift not because God is silent, but because we forget. To remember is to return, to rehearse, to speak again what is already certain. This quiet repetition forms us.

Spiritual maturity is not found in chasing what is new, but in faithfully holding fast to what is true.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 62:1-12 (day five)

“From Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.”

How many sermons a week do you listen to? Who preaches those sermons?  Is it your local church pastor (once a week)?  Is it podcasts? Other sermons you access online?  I’m not suggesting your spiritual maturity is directly connected to how many sermons a week you hear. Instead, I want to suggest that perhaps the most influential preacher in your life could/should be… YOU!! Sometimes our tendency is to only listen to ourselves. When we listen, we hear struggle, pain, doubt, anxiety, etc. Nothing wrong with that (we ask the Spirit to search us and show us).  But don’t stop there. Once we listen (to ourselves and to the Spirit), we then should speak/preach to ourselves- asking the Spirit to guide us and teach us. That’s what David is doing in some of Palm 62, and he is preaching a terrific sermon – exactly what he needed to hear/learn/remember. The sermons we preach to ourselves can be life-giving and transformational. So maybe a helpful rhythm would be to not only listen/hear BUT ALSO speak/preach (all with the help and guidance of the Spirit).

“What is it that is capturing your idle thoughts? What fear or frustration is filling your spare moments? Will you just listen to yourself, or will you start talking? No, preaching—not letting your concerns shape you, but forming your concerns by the power of the gospel.”- David Mathis

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 62:1-12 (day four)

Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.

How often do you pour out your heart before God? Do you tend to maintain a sense of formality and “politeness” in your prayers? While God is holy and we should pray knowing we speak to a holy God, the Psalms teach us that emotion is still welcome in his holy presence. We can trust him at all times, knowing that he is the only one who knows the depths of our hearts and is the only one who can handle the things we try to carry. We can pour out our heart before him – even the ugly things we’re ashamed of, even our doubts. When we get those things in the light, they lose their ability to fester within us. When we pour out our heart before him, we’re reminded that God is truly our only refuge, and the best one we could ask for. He’s a refuge even from the war in our own mind.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 62:1-12 (day three)

¹ I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.

What do you do when trouble comes your way?

What defines trouble for you? Is it big things that shake your spirit such as a cancer diagnosis or an international crisis? Is trouble for you small things like being overly critical of something or someone because you didn’t get enough sleep, or a disappointment in your day? No matter how we define trouble, trouble will come. The temptation to react and handle things on our own will be there constantly and consistently throughout each day. There is always an urge to handle troubles on our own, rather than letting God handle them.

Often, it is easier to go to God with our bigger troubles and let Him take care of those. But that is not how God wants us to operate. The Bible is full of examples and exhortations to let God have all our cares, worries, and troubles. But we struggle with this. We struggle with letting Him have control over the big and the small troubles. Here in Psalm 62, the Psalmist reminds us to find rest in the Lord. If God is strong enough and big enough to handle our biggest troubles, isn’t He more than strong enough and big enough to handle our small troubles, also?

So, when trouble comes your way today, what will you do? Will you trust God and give it to Him, or will you try to handle (name your small or big trouble here) when it arises? I pray you find rest in Him today with the big and the small things.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 62:1-12 (day two)

 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken. V. 2

This psalm is filled with images of God as a strong fortress and tower. If we put our faith and trust in the Lord, we can rest securely in the knowledge that we are under his care and protection. These pictures are a great comfort and remind us of that which is immovable. There is a distinct contrast given at the end of verse three. When our trust and faith is established in anything other than the Lord, it is…

Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? V. 3b

People will try to convince you that people, institutions, ideologies are solid and trustworthy; but in the end they will result in an unstable grasp of reality. God alone provides the stability and strength that we need. May this be a reminder to all of us that no matter how shiny and new a way of thinking may be, if it is not rooted in God, it is a tottering fence.