Reframing
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, I want to get to know You better today and every day as I meet You in Your Word.
Read Psalm 63:1-11
[1] A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. [2] I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. [3] Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. [4] I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. [5] I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. [6] On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. [7] Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. [8] I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. [9] Those who want to kill me will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth. [10] They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals. [11] But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God will glory in him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What reasons does the psalmist have for such praise?Like the Israelites we’ve been reading about in recent weeks, and like us at times, too, the psalmist is in the wilderness (1). But somehow just acknowledging his longing for God’s presence transforms his distress. Have you had that experience? Perhaps, like the psalmist, and like me, you’ve found an inner confidence welling up in you after you’ve come to God like that. If you haven’t, you might like to try it. It won’t necessarily change your situation, but it might change the way you look at it. Psychologists call this “reframing,” and the psalms are full of people doing this. (Look at Psalm 73, for example.) Rather than focusing on his mental and spiritual suffering, the psalmist here remembers times when God has revealed himself (2), when God has helped him (7), and the ultimate destiny of those who work against him (9,10). Praise wells up within him, starting with words (3), spreading through his body (4), and ending up as song that lasts through the day and night (6,7). What starts out as need (1) becomes rejoicing as God’s chosen servant (11).
Apply
Identify your feelings, form them into your own words, and express them to God. Ask God to transform your perspective.
Closing prayer
Lord God, I’m grateful that You can be counted on to be with and for me always. Keep me remembering that.
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