David is praising God for His power, strength and sovereignty, and in so doing recognizing how God has loved, provided for and watched over him his entire life. To help me get a better understanding and feel for this Psalm I went back to verses 1-7 and as I read through them I included my name wherever David had referred to himself. This made the passage very personal for me. I was especially moved when I thought through verse 7 using my name.
I encourage you to make this Psalm personal as well. Go back and read verses 1-7 including your name where appropriate.
~Tami~
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Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of unhewn stones - Deuteronomy 27:6
The obvious intention of this precept was to prevent idolatry, lest the people should think more of the altar than of Jehovah who was worshiped there. Beware of anything that would divert men's thoughts from God.
Build your Addresses of unhewn stones. - When speaking to men, Paul determined to erect structures of unhewn stones, eschewing worldly wisdom, that the power of God might burn more conspicuously on the altar of his words. He knew that his speech and his preaching could never be in persuasive words of human wisdom, and it was his fixed determination to know nothing among men but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. If you spend too much time in cutting the stones of your address, your hearers will probably be more occupied with their artistic grace than with the Divine fire that should burn upon them.
Build your Prayers of unhewn stones. - The expressions of some men in prayer are so exquisitely chiseled that you keep wondering what they will say next, and how. Their prayers stand as beautiful altars on which there is no fire. Oh for the strong cryings and tears of a Spirit-taught man, expressing the real need of his nature, rather than the exquisite beauty of an oration to God!
Build your Inner life of unhewn stones. - Do not keep looking to see how you are performing the acts of consecration, confession, devotion. The least you think of these the better, that your entire thought may be concentrated on t, he great God and His Presence. There must be sincerity in our acts of consecration. One inch of rising flame is better than yards of chiseled stone!
~F. B. Meyer~
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The Side Effects of Fear
Fear obviously produces anxiety, but it also creates chaos in our lives and even affects those around us.
Fear stifles our thinking and actions. It creates indecisiveness that results in stagnation. I have known talented people who procrastinate indefinitely rather than risk failure. Lost opportunities cause erosion of confidence, and the downward spiral begins.
Fear hinders us from becoming the people God wants us to be. When we are dominated by negative emotions, we cannot achieve the goals He has in mind for us. A lack of self-confidence stymies our belief in what the Lord can do with our lives.
Fear can drive people to destructive habits. To numb the pain of overbearing distress and foreboding, some turn to things like drugs and alcohol for artificial relief.
Fear steals peace and contentment. When we're always afraid, our life becomes centered on pessimism and gloom.
Fear creates doubt. God promises us an abundant life, but if we surrender instead to the chains of fear, our prayers won’t be worth very much.
What are you afraid of--loss, rejection, poverty, or death? Everybody will face such realities at some point. All you need to know is, God will never reject you. Whether you accept Him is your decision.
The Bible tells us that God will meet all our needs. He feeds the birds of the air and clothes the grass with the splendor of lilies. How much more, then, will He care for us, who are made in His image? Our only concern is to obey the heavenly Father and leave the consequences to Him.
~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~
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Be Vigilant—You Have an Enemy
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Your adversary the devil is prowling about like a roaring lion. Don’t underestimate his power.
Satan is an enemy you need to respect like an electrician who has respect for the wires that carry deadly voltage. He knows where the insulation is and he knows how to handle electricity. If an electrician loses his respect for this power, he is going to be in serious trouble.
ACTION POINT:
Everything may be going great for you right now. You’ve got money in the bank, a good job, good health. You’re dancing through the forest and picking wildflowers. But behind a bush is a lion so deadly, he can pounce on you and swallow you whole. You’ve got to be vigilant.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Your adversary the devil is prowling about like a roaring lion. Don’t underestimate his power.
Satan is an enemy you need to respect like an electrician who has respect for the wires that carry deadly voltage. He knows where the insulation is and he knows how to handle electricity. If an electrician loses his respect for this power, he is going to be in serious trouble.
ACTION POINT:
Everything may be going great for you right now. You’ve got money in the bank, a good job, good health. You’re dancing through the forest and picking wildflowers. But behind a bush is a lion so deadly, he can pounce on you and swallow you whole. You’ve got to be vigilant.
~Adrian Rogers~
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My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You,And I will look up. Psalm 5:3
Have you ever noticed the difference between waking up with an alarm clock versus sleeping until you naturally wake up? When it comes to doing morning devotions, there is a huge difference between the two. Personally, I love to sleep in. But once I am up, I do not slow down; I make the most of my day. I rarely sit down unless I am eating or in a meeting. So I am thankful to the Lord that I have no trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. It is the waking up that gives me the most trouble.
For years, I set aside a "quiet time," to just be quiet to pray and to read my Bible during the day. But because of my personality and because of the activities of the day competing for my attention (like work, the kids and the phone), I became too distracted to concentrate on the things of God. I would read verses like Psalm 5:3 and know deep within my heart that I needed to get up before the day started. It took a long time and a lot of prayer to get me into the habit and pattern of waking up early. It is only in the early mornings that I am in a better place to hear from the Lord because there is nothing competing against His words. During this quiet time, I can enjoy the freedom from the noise of the day. The house is quiet and peaceful in the pre-dawn hours.
It is funny that if I was going on vacation or needed to catch a plane, I could more easily get out of bed to the buzzing noise of an alarm clock. But how come with the things of God, we resist so much? Personally, I believe it is because we resist the words ‘discipline’ and ‘dependency’. We need to discipline our bodies to wake up early and we do it to show our dependency on needing the Lord to help us. God loves us and has so much to give to us. His ways are of peace. For me, I have learned that an extra hour in bed cannot compare with the peace I receive spending quiet time with Him first thing; for Jesus says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).
My encouragement to you is to try it. Set your alarm half an hour earlier than you normally get up and make a commitment to do it every day for a week. And give that half hour to the Lord, ask Him to wake you up to His words and to give you the peace that will carry you throughout your day. When you make this change in your daily habits, God will bless you.
~Daily Disciples Devotional~
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