Worthy of Praise

I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold. I will call on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, for he saves me from my enemies.Psalm 18:1-3

Hunted and chased like an animal, David had been in terrible distress and danger, but God had preserved his life and rescued him. Because of God’s help, David hadn’t just survived; he had emerged victorious. So he sings Psalm 18, a psalm of thanksgiving for all God has done and for who he is to David. It is a great song of worship and praise for the Lord’s divine intervention in delivering David against all odds from his enemy Saul and for bringing David through his difficulties to a future and hope.

In singing God’s praises, David uses vivid metaphors: “my rock” (stability and security), “my shield” (the one who guards and keeps me safe), “the strength of my salvation” (my source of strength when I’m weak), and “my stronghold” (the place I can go for protection). In David’s darkest hour the Lord revealed himself in these ways, and he wants to reveal himself in our lives too—right where we are in our distress, in the problems that try us, and in our victories. Ask him to reveal himself in whatever you’re facing today, and join David in praising the Lord who is “worthy of praise”!

LORD, when I am beset by difficulties, be my rock—my source of security in an uncertain world. In you alone I find protection. You are my stronghold; I need nothing else. Be my strength when I’m weak. Be my shield of protection from those who would harm me. Be the strength of my salvation when I call on you, and I will ever praise you because you are worthy.

GOD REVEALS HIMSELF UNFAILINGLY TO THE THOUGHTFUL SEEKER.
Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850)

Like an Olive Tree

I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever.Psalm 52:8

In Bible times the olive tree was considered the most valuable of trees. Throughout Scripture it symbolizes value, prominence, peace, and a promise of better times to come.

The olive tree was also known as a tree that persevered, for it stood with great endurance under any adverse condition.

The man who is secure in God’s presence is a symbol of God’s power.

When David compared himself with an olive tree, he was declaring his faith and trust in God as the One who enabled him to be strong, not only to survive but also to thrive and bear fruit no matter how his enemies pursued him.

He voiced, through the symbolism of the olive tree, his determination to grow in God’s presence and live a life of faith, seeking only to fulfill the will of God and become his alone.

In whatever circumstances you may find yourself, the Holy Spirit dwelling within you can empower you to stand as a mighty, flourishing olive tree, full of the vitality that comes from living anchored in God’s unfailing love.

LORD, just like your servant David, I want not just to survive today but to thrive. Help me to display your splendor. Just as olive trees produce fruit, let my life produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Let others see the oil of joy, of healing, and of your very presence in my life, not only for my sake, but for the sake of those who so desperately need to see that you really do exist and dwell among us.

LET HIM DO WHAT HE PLEASES WITH ME: I DESIRE ONLY HIM, AND TO BE WHOLLY DEVOTED TO HIM.

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (1605–1691)

Destroy the Enemy

[Moses said,] “When the Lord your God brings you [the Israelites] into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are all more powerful than you. When the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy.Deuteronomy 7:1-2
God gave clear instructions to the Israelites to conquer their enemies completely. They were not to show mercy or compromise in any way, or they could lose what they had gained. The seven enemies were all more powerful than the Israelites and clearly had the potential to keep them from occupying the Promised Land. But God had already handed the Israelites’ enemies over to them, assuring them that they would reach their destination.

When God delivers us from a life of sin, we must not recross the bridge that God has brought us over. There should be no place in our lives where we would entertain the things that once had the power to destroy us. God is leading each of us to a place where we can discover his greatest intentions for our lives. Compromises large or small allow the enemy to slip in and distract, delay, or keep us from reaching that destination. Determine today to show no mercy to the old enemies that once had a hold on your life. Thank God that he saved you, and praise him that because of the finished work of Christ, he has conquered the enemy once and for all.

PRECIOUS SAVIOR, once the enemy stood in my way, yet you saved me. Help me to give my enemies no part in my life. I will not make treaties with them or compromise in any way. I will show no mercy to the things that once threatened to destroy my life. I will embrace you, God, for you moved those things out of my way so that I could respond to your higher calling.

IT IS NEVER WISE TO UNDERESTIMATE AN ENEMY. WE LOOK UPON THE ENEMY OF OUR SOULS AS A CONQUERED FOE, SO HE IS, BUT ONLY TO GOD, NOT TO US.
Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)

Hide em in your heart

Psalms 119:9‭-‬12

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to thy word.  With my whole heart I seek thee; let me not wander from thy commandments!  I have laid up thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Blessed be thou, O Lord ; teach me thy statutes!

Hide Them in Your Heart

we need to record the negative thoughts that dominate our thinking, and learn to live by spiritual truths specific to our life to demolish those strongholds.

Just having the truth in hand is a stress reliever.

“Stress isn’t about all you have to do—but how you think about all you have to do.”

Well, that’s a relief.

And you know what?

There is a way to make sure you always have the truth with you. It is found in the word of God as we search it and put it into practice in our lives

find verses that speak to you and make them your own.

hide them in your heart by repeating them daily.

KEEP STILL

Psalms 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

In our fast-paced culture, we are constantly in motion. Whether it’s our always-packed calendar, always-racing mind, or always-connected technology, we aren’t very good at resting. At the root, many of us are consumed with working, performing, and longing to earn respect, position, authority, value, and love. Whether we attempt to receive these things from people or God, this striving causes us to become tired. Soul tired. The only way that we can begin a journey toward rest is to give ourselves permission to stop.

Today, take some time to find a quiet few moments of solitude. Preferably, it will be a time that you intentionally set aside for the purpose of being still. It would be optimal if you could go to a location that you consider restful, by default, and spend about 10 minutes alone. I think 10 minutes is a reasonable amount of time to hope for. Do this without the aid of technology or means that have the potential to interrupt you.

If stepping away isn’t possible in your day, find a way to create stillness in the midst of your regular flow. Drive in silence to or from work. Sit alone with no phone interaction during lunch. The key in all of this is to not allow anything to populate the time that you have set aside to be quiet and still.

Caution: There will be a temptation to minimize the importance of being still, but I want to encourage you to be vigilant. Note what is happening in your mind and heart as you engage this time of quiet stillness.

Keep still and let Him do some work.

THOMAS MERTON

Busyness is an illness of spirit.

EUGENE PETERSON

You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.

DALLAS WILLARD

...all men need enough silence and solitude in their lives to enable the deep inner voice of their own true self to be heard at least occasionally.

THOMAS MERTON

God’s Unfailing Love

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.Psalm 36:5-7

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In today’s verses the psalmist uses just a few words to paint some dramatic pictures. With a series of metaphors this psalm describes some of the many blessings for believers because of God’s character: His ever faithful, ever loyal love is truly “out of this world” because it is so great that it reaches beyond the clouds and heavens. The Lord’s righteousness is as steady as the highest mountains, and his judgments are as deep as the ocean. But the metaphor that gives us the greatest insight into the heart of God is in verse 7: we can find shelter in our Lord just as baby chickens take refuge under the shelter of the mother hen’s wings. Because God loves us, his arms are open to us today; all we have to do is run to him, and he will provide shelter and protection.

YOUR UNFAILING LOVE, LORD, is as vast as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is as glorious as the mighty mountain, and your justice is as deep as the deepest ocean. Thank you for caring for people and animals alike with your unfailing love. Thank you for the shelter that I find in the shadow of your wings. I rejoice because your unfailing love is the most precious thing to me!

GOD’S LOVE IS MEASURELESS. IT IS MORE: IT IS BOUNDLESS. IT HAS NO BOUNDS BECAUSE IT IS NOT A THING BUT A FACET OF THE ESSENTIAL NATURE OF GOD. HIS LOVE IS SOMETHING HE IS, AND BECAUSE HE IS INFINITE, THAT LOVE CAN ENFOLD THE WHOLE CREATED WORLD IN ITSELF AND HAVE ROOM FOR TEN THOUSAND TIMES TEN THOUSAND WORLDS BESIDE.
A. W. Tozer (1897–1963)

Seek God’s Understanding

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.Proverbs 3:5-6

These verses from Proverbs can be a continual, lifelong, daily prayer for us to pray for all those we love, because our natural tendency is to lean on our own understanding and do things our way instead of depending on God’s wisdom and ways.

The longer I live, the more I realize that all of our responsibilities, all that God has called us to do, are beyond our own human ability.

There is nothing I can do apart from God.

In everything—whether it is parenting; relationships with my Wife, children, grandchildren, and friends; ministry work; writing; speaking; or teaching.

I need to depend on God, seek his higher understanding, his wisdom and his will, and then trust in his leading with all my heart.

As I do these things, I become the recipient of God’s wonderful promise in Proverbs 3:6—he will direct my path—a promise that is backed by all the honor of his name.

Even when it seems that there is no way out, when we’ve hit our own limitations or a dead end, God will guide us and make a way for us.

LORD, help me to trust in you with all my heart today. Guard me from depending on my own limited understanding. Instead, help me to rely totally on you.

I desire to seek your will in all I do today.

Thank you for the promise that you will direct my paths so that I can walk hand in hand with you, depend on your higher understanding, and seek your will in all I do.

BECAUSE OUR UNDERSTANDING IS EARTHBOUND . . . HUMAN TO THE CORE . . . LIMITED . . . FINITE . . . WE OPERATE IN A DIMENSION TOTALLY UNLIKE OUR LORD . . . WHO KNOWS NO SUCH LIMITATIONS. WE SEE NOW. HE SEES FOREVER.
Charles R. Swindoll (b. 1934)