CONFIDENT HOPE
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Opening Prayer
Father in Heaven, speak to me today through your Word. Help me to hear and respond to what you say, empower me to do your will.
Read PSALM 144
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Psalm 144
Of David.
1 Praise be to the Lord my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.
2 He is my loving God and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples[a] under me.
3 Lord, what are human beings that you care for them,
mere mortals that you think of them?
4 They are like a breath;
their days are like a fleeting shadow.
5 Part your heavens, Lord, and come down;
touch the mountains, so that they smoke.
6 Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy;
shoot your arrows and rout them.
7 Reach down your hand from on high;
deliver me and rescue me
from the mighty waters,
from the hands of foreigners
8 whose mouths are full of lies,
whose right hands are deceitful.
9 I will sing a new song to you, my God;
on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,
10 to the One who gives victory to kings,
who delivers his servant David.
From the deadly sword 11 deliver me;
rescue me from the hands of foreigners
whose mouths are full of lies,
whose right hands are deceitful.
12 Then our sons in their youth
will be like well-nurtured plants,
and our daughters will be like pillars
carved to adorn a palace.
13 Our barns will be filled
with every kind of provision.
Our sheep will increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields;
14 our oxen will draw heavy loads.[b]
There will be no breaching of walls,
no going into captivity,
no cry of distress in our streets.
15 Blessed is the people of whom this is true;
blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.
Footnotes
- Psalm 144:2 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Jerome and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text subdues my people
- Psalm 144:14 Or our chieftains will be firmly established
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What struggles are you facing currently? Bring them to the Lord and ask for his help.As a king who has fought so many battles, David longs and prays for his people that the next generation (v. 12) will live in peace. His hope is that they will be able to go about their business without the threat of being attacked or taken captive (v. 14). He is confident that this will indeed be their future because of who their God is (v.15).
David himself, though, is still at war. The words he uses to describe God in verse 2 are wonderful: but they are all things that you only need during a battle. David is confident about the outcome because he has confidence in his God. In verses 2 to 6, we see David meditat- ing on the strength and greatness of God and left in awe at the fact that such a God would be in relationship with him (vv. 3, 4).
He asks God to intervene miraculously (vv. 6, 7) but also expects to have to do some of the fighting (v. 1). When we face our own battles, do we ask God to train us to fight as often as we ask him to change the circumstances or miraculously remove the threat?
Apply
David describes God as his rock, his fortress, his stronghold, his deliverer. How many more words can you think of to describe who God is for you? Use them as a basis for your praise now.
Closing prayer
Lord God, when I face adversity, use my difficulties to change me, to build my faith in who you are and what you can do.
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