SNAPSHOTS
Opening Prayer
Almighty God, I come to you with praise and worship. May the joy that is mine in following you be evidenced by everyone I meet today.
Read PSALM 71
Psalm 71
1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
turn your ear to me and save me.
3 Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.
5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord,
my confidence since my youth.
6 From birth I have relied on you;
you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
I will ever praise you.
7 I have become a sign to many;
you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
9 Do not cast me away when I am old;
do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
10 For my enemies speak against me;
those who wait to kill me conspire together.
11 They say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him,
for no one will rescue him.”
12 Do not be far from me, my God;
come quickly, God, to help me.
13 May my accusers perish in shame;
may those who want to harm me
be covered with scorn and disgrace.
14 As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
15 My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,
of your saving acts all day long—
though I know not how to relate them all.
16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord;
I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
18 Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come.
19 Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
you who have done great things.
Who is like you, God?
20 Though you have made me see troubles,
many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
21 You will increase my honor
and comfort me once more.
22 I will praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you—
I whom you have delivered.
24 My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me
have been put to shame and confusion.
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
Confession time. I may be just a little obsessive about keeping my digital photo albums up to date and in order. How careful are you about keeping good memories?Today’s psalm, written by an older person, is like a series of snapshots from the life of a God-follower, except the images are a bit fuzzy. We don’t really know what these moments were, but read the verse(s) again and use them as prompts for praise, prayer, and thanks to God. And let them strengthen your faith for any tough time you’re going through just now (vs 1-4). Essentially, psalms help us worship.
Verses 5-8. Remember the early days of your life of faith, and thank God for the ways he has led and protected you since then. When, particularly, did he give you ‘hope’ and ‘confidence’?
Verses 9-16. Discipleship means following God with all that we are, for as long as we live. Pray that he will keep you close to him forever and your life will always be a strong and faithful witness to his goodness.
Verses 17-21. What better thing to leave ‘the next generation’ than a good understanding of how powerful God is? Pray that you’ll be so full of the good news of Jesus that you won’t be able to help but pass it on. But to whom? That’s the question. Do you know yet?
Apply
Verses 22-24. Look forward thankfully to all the Lord has in store for you in heaven, and get ready for plenty of singing to him!
Closing prayer
O Lord, thank you for the gift of my salvation and surety of eternal life. Thank you for the many times you have proven your love for me, both in good times and bad. Help me to testify to your faithfulness wherever you lead me, whatever may yet come.
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