Tag: faith

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Off The Beaten Path –

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Day 5 – Celebration of Life Prayer 2.0

I posted this little blog on my 57th birthday five years ago. It was actually a prayer and one of the first prayer posts I shared under the category of “God is Good.” I have updated it to reflect my most recent birthday and share it here with you as a segue to the guest post by Ann Voskamp.

Celebration of Life / an edited post of July 20, 2019

God, you are good! You have blessed me with 62 years of life🎉 This number represents more than years of life. For it is also a reminder that …

  • through FAITH in Jesus Christ, I have known you as my God for 56 years – and
  • 35 years ago, You brought me to a fuller understanding of Your marvelous grace, which profoundly and forever changed my life1 – and
  • Since then,  I have been GROWING in the knowledge of Your grace and of my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ ❤️ in the nurture and admonition of Your amazing, never-failing LOVE!

So, while I celebrate my birthday and am deeply grateful for another year of life – my greater celebration is in You!

  • I bow in worship and celebrate who You are and that You made Yourself known to me!
  • I bless and celebrate Your Name – Name above all Names –
  • I celebrate being adopted into Your family and known as a child of God!
  • I praise and celebrate You for all that You have done for me throughout these 62 years – You’ve protected, provided, and shown me Your kindness, love, and compassion. You’ve rescued me from pits of destruction and walked with me through countless valleys, and not once have You left me on my own —so I celebrate You and the day of my salvation 56 years ago!
  • again and again I praise and celebrate You for Your mercy and pursuit of this wayward lamb
  • and I celebrate the fuller understanding You have given me of Your life-changing grace and Your faithfulness to grow me up in the nurture and admonition of Your Love over the past 35 years!

When I was writing this post five years ago – a song from decades ago started playing in my mind – And will be my song of celebration every year of my life – not just for my celebration of years but even more for my celebration of life in Christ! 🎶

Listen to my birthday song. Then, I invite (and encourage)you to visit the link to Ann Voskamp’s blog. It is a wonderful musing of ideas and encouragement about God’s grace and the change that comes from knowing and embracing Him, the God who doesn’t change and can do the impossible.

Change is possible, when you embrace the God who doesn’t change and can do the impossible.

Ann VosKamp

The post is long but well worth the read – even if you read some today and some tomorrow …. How to Have a Better Second Half of Your Life

photo credits/Ann Voskamp

Clock - it's never too late
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Off the Beaten Path

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Today’s Scripture: Psalm 42:1

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.

Psalm 42:1. NLT

Some of you know I live in the country, far enough from the ‘city’ and just outside the village where I grew up. What you might not know, though, is that I love flowers, and I used to love growing them. I grew pansies and miniature carnations, along with lilies, roses, geraniums, and many others. However, my love of growing flowers diminished when I could no longer keep them alive, or – should I say “safe.’ You see, I am limited to the varieties I can plant now because the deer population has increased through the years, and they have taken over our yard – well, at least the flowers. So. while I love this verse, I also get tickled and a bit quizzical now, because from my vantage point, the deer do not pant for water nearly as much as they delight in the taste of my flowers.

I love the verse and the beautiful picture the Psalmist paints with his words. His soul’s desire for God is an awe-inspiring reflection of a deer panting for water. Oh, that I, no—that we might also thirst for God and for His Word in this way.

My call and desire is to encourage, equip, and empower women with God’s Word and help them long for God. May no one and nothing but God be able to satisfy our thirst. May His ‘living water’ renew our love and strengthen our faith and keep us coming back for more. May we be attracted to His fragrance and beauty as the deer are drawn to my flowers.🌷🦋

The following post is borrowed and shared from the biblegateway.com site and is a beautiful and encouraging devotion written about today’s verse. Please don’t miss it –

Desiring God’s Presesnce / Biblegateway.com daily verse & Devo 7/24/24

The writer of Psalm 42 compares himself to a deer that is longing for water. The deer is weary and parched without it, and so all it wants is to find a stream to drink from.

In a similar way, the psalmist is weary and exhausted from life. He is under pressure and growing tired. And yet, his innermost desire is for God.

Just like the deer desires water, the psalmist’s soul desires the presence of God. He knows that the solution to his problems is not more accomplishments and praise—it’s spending time in the presence of God.

It’s not wrong to have desires and goals in life. But our foremost desire should be for God, because true satisfaction is only found in His presence.

All it takes is your desire and commitment to spend time with Him by reading His Word, talking to Him through prayer, or reflecting on His faithful character. As you draw close to Him, He is ready and willing to be close to you, and to restore your soul.

Spending time with God is a basic spiritual need of ours, but it is a powerful time that can change the course of our life and the center of who we are. Take time to be with Him now, but also come up with a plan that helps you continue to seek God every day.

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Quiet Time

Off The Beaten Path

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Day 3: Let’s Weave This Together”

Scripture: Psalm 20:1-5

In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.
    May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
2 May he send you help from his sanctuary
    and strengthen you from Jerusalem.
3 May he remember all your gifts
    and look favorably on your burnt offerings. Interlude

4 May he grant your heart’s desires
    and make all your plans succeed.
5 May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory
    and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the Lord answer all your prayers.

Psalm 20:1-5

I have lived long enough, as I’m sure you have, to know that not all of the plans we make will succeed – at least not as we envisioned. However, as bibleref.com points out, “When we pray and worship God,  when we fully trust in the Lord and accept His will, He will guide us. David had not depended upon his own understanding as he prepared for battle. He had worshiped the Lord and sought the Lord’s will instead of his own (1 Samuel 23:1–2).” In order to not be disappointed in God when our plans do not succeed, we must understand that Ps 20 verse 4 is part of a congregational prayer on David’s behalf. When our desire is for the Lord’s will, we will be able to rejoice even when things don’t turn out quite as we planned or hoped.

Consider also these examples:

The apostle James counsels us not to plan what we will do tomorrow without seeking God’s will (James 4:13–15).

The Lord instructed Joshua to meditate on the Word of God and obey the God of the Word, and then he would be successful (Joshua 1:4–9).

Bibleref.com

Today’s devotion is from OurDailyVerse.com and offers much encouragement concerning our desires and God’s will: 

Our hearts often burst with desires—some God-given, others perhaps our own creations. But here's the beautiful mystery: as we draw closer to our Creator, our desires begin to align with His ultimate design. It's not about God being a cosmic vending machine, dispensing wishes. It's about Him lovingly guiding us to want what's truly best.

the rest of the post, borrowed and shared from Our Daily Verse, as received via email on 7/23/24 can be found at the link below –

https://www.ourdailyverse.com/p/verse-day-psalm-204-2ad7

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Spirit

Off The Beaten Path

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Speaking in Love Instead of Speaking Your Mind

This morning, long before I had spoken a word to anyone other than God, I was opening my devotion for the day. My morning devotions are not typically found in a book but in emails or texts from bloggers and speakers that I have found to be Scripturally sound. I love doing it this way since I also post a daily devotion, and I have found that it is good to glean from other trusted sources.

All of the devotions are beautiful reminders of God’s goodness and faithfulness, but some – like today’s – are filled with words of correction and/or reminders of His expectations for His children -corrections and reminders that sometimes come with a bittersweet “ouch” as you realize that the topic is something you’ve struggled with (or perhaps still struggle with).

If you’ve never had trouble with your tongue before – such as speaking before thinking instead of thinking before you speak… or tearing down rather than building up… or speaking the truth but not in love… or words of gossip, anger, unkindness, slander, hate, lies or… the list goes on, but my point is – If your tongue has never been used in any of these ways – then this devotion may simply be sweet encouragement, rather than the bittersweet ‘ouch’ I experienced. However, since James has declared the tongue to be an untameable instrument1, I would venture to say that at least one of these examples strikes a chord in your heart – reminding you of a less-than-spectacular use of your tongue at some point in your life – either way – I encourage you to read on. The author’s words may sting at first, but they are truth-filled reminders of God’s faithfulness to not only teach us His ways but to faithfully remind us of His expectations for His children … expectations like using kind, gentle, and true words. Our words are supposed to encourage and build others up and not tear them down or hurt them. As the blog points out, they are to be spoken in love – which is why this particular devo brought a bittersweet ouch for me – as I have not always used my tongue in accordance with God’s expectations.

“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18 (NIV)

I hate to admit it, but I have struggled in the past with this untamable instrument. You see, my tongue has, at times, been quick to speak, and it has gone way off the grid of patience and self-control. So, despite the bittersweet ‘ouch’ of the author’s words, I find myself extremely thankful that this is the devotion God pointed me toward this morning. I am grateful for the loving reminder of His forgiveness and guidance and His patience to change me from the inside-out. I pray it will be a blessing of guidance and encouragement to you as well. 🦋

My prayer~ Father, the tongue is untameable - BUT You have given us Your Spirit who produces in us the fruit of the Spirit, including patience, kindness, gentleness, love, and self-control! So that we are without excuse to use our tongue for anything but good and encouraging. May Your love be evident in all we say and do. Let us not forget that our words have the power to hurt others or to point them to You. May we use our tongues to Your glory and honor - Amen!

–

Please don’t miss the following post, which is borrowed and shared from Encouragement for Today/A Proverbs31 Ministry blog received in my email 7/22/24 –

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2024/07/22/speaking-in-love-instead-of-speaking-your-mind

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Off the Beaten Path

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Our Best Defense Against Spiritual Drought1

Today’s Scripture: Isaiah 58:11

The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Isaiah 58:11 NKJV

Have you ever found yourself in a spiritual season of drought – droughts of finding words to pray, droughts of sensing His presence, or droughts of struggling to even pick up God’s Word? I know I have and my heart aches at the remembrance of such times or at the thought of them coming again. However, today’s devotion/blog by Michele Morin, offers great encouragement that even in our seasons of drought God is with us. Even then He is guiding us, strengthening our ‘bones’, as Isaiah wrote, and reviving us with streams of water that flow through the parched landscapes of our lives.

I pray it encourages you as much as it did me 🦋

Staying motivated and excited about reading and studying the Bible is our best defense against the spiritual desert.

Living Our Days / Posted on  by Michele Morin
Read the Blog
How to Stay Motivated and Excited About Reading the Bible
  1. Title and quotes by Michele Morin as published on Living Our Days/July 21,2024 ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Run to God and His Word

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WHERE DO YOU RUN WHEN LIFE GETS HARD? / borrowed and shared from the LGG study of Ps 119

by WhitneyD | originally posted Aug 7, 2015 | 

I lay in bed next to my tender boy… the one who wears his heart on his sleeve. He feels it is unfair, but I whisper in his ear that his biggest struggle also has the potential to be his best gift. 

Help him to see it for himself one day soon, Jesus.

His high emotions serve him so very well when all is well. But when life gets hard? Well, he’s still learning how to navigate those rough waters. For now, he just wishes that he didn’t feel so much. Care that much.

He wants to see himself as God sees him, but it’s not always that easy – even with the best of intentions and in all of the trying. I get it buddy… I really do. Fair and right and easy living aren’t generally things this world hands out in abundance, and I haven’t seen a silver platter circulating the masses recently.

Ever feel like it would just be easier to run away from it all?

It starts out sounding like the best option – sometimes the only option. Only when we run, the hard still lingers within us. On this earth, no one escapes hard buddy. 

But hard has the most amazing potential when Jesus enters the picture…

___________________________

“Everyone is running somewhere,” I tell him. “But what you believe about God will determine where you run.”

May my cry come before YOU, oh Lord…

give me understanding according to Your Word.

May my supplication come before YOU;

deliver me according to Your promise.

~ Psalm 119: 169-170

trust

Doubt, fear, and shame tell us to run and hide. They tell us it would be way easier to stay in bed, to ignore that phone call, to throw our very own patented version of a temper tantrum and just plain refuse to show up.

But hard can also drive us to the cross.

Maybe hard has way more than just potential. Because of Jesus, what if hard suddenly became our greatest gift?

Hard strips away built-up pride and can lead us to a place of humility.

Hard crushes illusions of self-sufficiency and can push us to seek for a solution beyond ourselves.

Hard uncovers calloused hurts and shameful pasts and can awaken us to our need for forgiveness.

Hard exposes our deepest sins and can bring us to our knees in repentance.

Hard turns our eyes away from worthless things and can drive us straight to His Word…

… if we’ll let it.

The best time for new beginnings is now. You don’t have to run away any longer. Not because you’re suddenly stronger, but because you can run to the One who is.

Will the hard still come even after you lay it all down?

You betcha. But this time, you can turn the other direction and instead of running scared you can run in great confidence.

You can put on your brave face and embrace those waves, holding your head up high as you ride them straight into the arms of your Savior.

“I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.” ~ Spurgeon

God, your Word is a priceless treasure. Help us to run to it, for it’s there that we find YOU.

At His feet,

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Let Daily Praise Arise!

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based on the LGG Study of Psalm 119 / w8d1

Scripture: Psalm 119:161-164

Rulers pursue me for no reason,
yet I am more afraid of disobeying your instructions.
162 I rejoice in your instructions,
like one who finds much plunder.
163 I hate and despise deceit;
I love your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise you
because of your just regulations.

Psalm 119:161-164 NET

While our focus./SOAP is to be on the last portion of this passage, I couldn’t help getting caught up with the statement that the writer of the Psalm was more afraid of disobeying God’s instructions than he was of the authorities that pursued him without cause. It prompted the question, ‘Do I fear1 disobeying God more than I fear those who “pursue me for no reason,” or for that matter, all of the other concerns of life that strike fear and trembling in the heart and mind?” In other words, do I have more love and respect for God’s Word than I do for the dangers that threaten? –

When we fear God, we acknowledge He is holy and highly exalted the only One worthy of our worship and complete obedience.

gotquestions.org/fearing God

The second portion of today’s journey, particularly the declaration that he hated deceit and loved God’s law, brought more questions to mind. Namely, do I “hate and despise deceit?” If not, how can I then say, like the Psalmist, “I love God’s law?” For God hates a lying tongue. It is a “detestable evil to God, who is a God of truth.”2 To have anything but contempt for deceit is to disregard the Word, which is the truth of God.3

A lying tongue is one that speaks falsehood, knowingly and willingly, with an intention to deceive others. Lying can be used to impugn the character of a brother or to flatter a friend. It is a most detestable evil to God, who is a God of truth. Nothing we do causes us to more closely resemble the devil, who is the father of lies (John 8:44).

gotquestions.org/a lying tongue

The last portion of the verse presented me not so much with a question as with a challenge/inspiration to praise Him from the rising of the sun to its going down. Praise Him when you awaken, when you lie down, and all the hours in between. Look for reasons to praise Him. While I do not believe that seven times is a mandate, I do believe it represents a day filled with praise, and as we have seen from this Psalmist, in good times as well as difficult times.

The More We Know

For more insight, check out the links below as well as the Love God Greatly blog

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Repetition & Persistence

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Scripture: Psalm 119:157-160 / w7d4 of the Lgg study of Ps. 119

The enemies who chase me are numerous.
Yet I do not turn aside from your rules.
158 I take note of the treacherous and despise them,
because they do not keep your instructions.
159 See how I love your precepts.
O Lord, revive me with your loyal love.
160 Your instructions are totally reliable;
all your just regulations endure.

Psalm 119:157-160 NET

Oh, how I am loving our journey through this Psalm. It is a constant example of prayer, boldness, and persistence in coming before God, It is encouragement to come before Him persistently and boldly. It is an inspiration to stay faithfully in love with God and true to Him despite the threat of the enemy. or other circumstances we may face. The Psalm brings conviction to my heart to pray repetitively for those who do not love or keep God’s instructions. It is also a reminder to trust in and depend on the Lord’s “loyal love” and the reliability of His Word – which is the true and evident basis for the psalmist’s persistent request and hope for revival.

 Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness: The psalmist asked God to look at his love for His word, but then asked for revival on the basis of God’s lovingkindness instead of on his own merit.

Enduringword.com

The following commentary is borrowed and shared from a wonderful commentary I found on this particular part of our journey through Psalm 119. I pray you will take the time to read it, as it has much to offer.

 (Ps 119: 157-158) Keeping to God’s word despite persecution.

Many are my persecutors and my enemies,
Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies.
I see the treacherous, and am disgusted,
Because they do not keep Your word.

a. Many are my persecutors and my enemies: The psalmist lived life in the real world, not sheltered in a constant Scripture-study environment. His trust in the word of God was forged in the real world, a world full of persecutors and enemies.

i. “Persecution, to the false professor, is an occasion of apostasy (Matthew 13:20-21); to the faithful servant of Christ, it is the trial of his faith (1 Peter 1:6-7), the source of his richest consolations (Matthew 5:10-12, Acts 13:50-52, 1 Peter 4:12-16), the guard of his profession (Matthew 10:16, Philippians 2:14-16), and the strength of his perseverance (Acts 20:22-24).” (Bridges)

b. Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies: The presence of so many persecutors and enemies did not make the psalmist despair or doubt the love of God for him. He didn’t have the expectation that a godly life was a problem-free life. Instead, he was determined to keep turned to and focused on the word of God.

i. “So long as they cannot drive or draw us into a spiritual decline our foes have done us no great harm, and they have accomplished nothing by their malice. If we do not decline they are defeated. If they cannot make us sin they have missed their mark. Faithfulness to the truth is victory over our enemies.” (Spurgeon)

c. I see the treacherous and am disgusted, because they do not keep Your word: It wasn’t that the psalmist expected godly behavior from the ungodly – something that Paul warned about (1 Corinthians 5:9-13). He felt disgusted because God and His word were being disgraced, even if it came from the disgraceful.

i. “I was sorry to see such sinners. I was sick of them, disgusted with them, I could not endure them. I found no pleasure in them, they were a sad sight to me, however fine their clothing or witty their chattering. Even when they were most mirthful a sight of them made my heart heavy; I could not tolerate either them or their doings.” (Spurgeon)

ii. This sensitivity toward sin and passion for the glory of God is entirely characteristic of the revival that the psalmist prays for repeatedly in this section.

iii. “A fellowship with the joys of angels over repenting sinners (Luke 15:10) will be accompanied with bitterness of godly sorrow over the hardness and impenitency of those, who keep not the word of God.” (Bridges)

4. (Ps. 119: 159-160) Revived by the completely true and lasting word.

Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness.
The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

a. Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness: The psalmist asked God to look at his love for His word, but then asked for revival on the basis of God’s lovingkindness instead of on his own merit.

i. “A second time he asks for consideration. As he said before, ‘Consider mine affliction,’ so now he says, ‘Consider mine affection.’ He loved the precepts of God – loved them unspeakably – loved them so as to be grieved with those who did not love them.” (Spurgeon)

b. Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness: An idea stated before (Psalm 119:88) is here repeated. Revival is never deserved or earned, but given from the lovingkindness of God.

i. “The consciousness of need is revealed in the thrice repeated, ‘Quicken [Revive] me.’ He feels the weakening of his very life under the pressure of circumstances.” (Morgan)

c. The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever: The psalmist again declares the infallible character of the word of God. The entire word is true, not merely portions or individual concepts from the word. Not only is it true; it is eternally true.

i. “The Scriptures are as true in Genesis as in Revelation, and the five books of Moses are as inspired as the four Gospels…. There is not one single mistake either in the word of God or in the providential dealings of God. Neither in the book of revelation nor of providence will there be any need to put a single note of errata. The Lord has nothing to regret or to retract, nothing to amend or to reverse.” (Spurgeon)

Posted in Bible study

The Power of God’s Word

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Scripture: Psalm 119:153-156 / W7D3 of LGG’s Study of Psalm 119

See my pain and rescue me.
For I do not forget your law.
154 Fight for me and defend me.
Revive me with your word.
155 The wicked have no chance for deliverance,
for they do not seek your statutes.
156 Your compassion is great, O Lord.
Revive me, as you typically do.

Psalm 119:153-156 NET

Have you ever been so desperate that you’ve prayed in this manner before? Pain, fear, danger, and/or trouble meet you around every corner, and you find yourself so weary and worn from it all that your very life seems to have been drained out of you – to the point that you need to be revived. I don’t know what kind of danger or trouble the psalmist faced from the wicked that he has mentioned, but regardless of the reason, he cries out for the Lord to see him…rescue him…fight for and defend him… and then my favorite request – the crescendo of them all: “revive me with your word.” The psalmist saw God as powerful and able to come to his aid, which isn’t surprising, but how awe-inspiring that he attributes life-giving power not just to God but to His Word as well. I can’t help but think of the words of Solomon to his sons, teaching them the wisdom he had received from God – words of wisdom that he said were life to those who find them and healing to their entire body.

My child, pay attention to my words;
listen attentively to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your sight,
guard them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
and healing to one’s entire body.
23 Guard your heart with all vigilance,
for from it are the sources of life.

Proverbs 4:20-23

May we faithfully pay attention to the wisdom of God that we find in His Word. May we not let them out of our sight and diligently keep them in our hearts. May we never forget the power of His Word and not hesitate to ask Him to revive us with it – trusting that His words bring life to those who find them and healing to one’s entire body. Oh, may we all learn to pray in this manner when we face troubles of any kind. May we pray like this when we are tired and weary and worn down from seasons of strife or battles of physical or emotional health. May we pray like this for others who are struggling and/or at the end of their rope. May we remember that God cares about us and pray with boldness for Him to see us and rescue us, fight for us, and defend us. – May we pray it all in the name of Jesus – who is the Living Word of God, fully God and yet fully man, who came to reveal God to man and redeem all who believe in Him from their sin.1

The More You Know

See how to make today’s passage into a beautiful prayer for a friend or yourself

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Prayer and the Word

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Scripture: Psalm 119:149-152

Listen to me because of your loyal love.
O Lord, revive me, as you typically do.
150 Those who are eager to do wrong draw near;
they are far from your law.
151 You are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are reliable.
152 I learned long ago that
you ordained your rules to last.

Psalm 119:149-152 NET

While I am not easily intimidated – when I am – whether it be due to those who are eager to do wrong or simply those who have a surly personality, I have learned to trust that when God is near (and He always is) not even the toughest or most fear-inducing person or situation can overpower the peace and joy of His presence. If, for some reason, I cannot sense His presence, I have learned to trust His heart, which He has revealed to us in His Word.

I love the opening words of this passage, “Listen to me because of your loyal love. O Lord.” We should imitate this posture of humility in all of our prayers— coming not as one who depends on his own goodness or worthiness but on the faithful love of the Lord. However, I believe the keywords in this passage are found in verse 151, where the Psalmist declares the Lord’s nearness and reliability. When we know these truths and stand upon them as the promises of God, we will not be shaken in the face of danger. This isn’t to infer that we will never be afraid, but that when we are afraid, we will trust in the one who has said/promised: “Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

One commentator said it like this: “Though the wicked are near to injure, because far from God’s law, He is near to help, and faithful to His word, which abides forever.” –

Biblehub.com
Encouragement for the journey

Humble yourselves before God and pray. One of the ways we humble ourselves before God is to cast on Him all of our cares/anxieties – not just the ones we think might be important enough but all of them because He cares for us.1 Prayer is one of, if not the greatest, privileges and assets of the Christian’s life. We have been given direct and bold access2 to God and every assurance that we can trust Him to not only hear but answer.3

Like the Psalmist, tell God your concern(s),

Those who are eager to do wrong draw near;
they are far from your law.

Psalm 119:150

and then remind yourself who He is and what He has said or promised.

You are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are reliable.

Psalm 119:151

If you aren’t sure how to pray or prayer itself intimidates you, remember that God has given us His Word, which is filled with untold examples of praying. To pray God’s Word back to Him is both freeing and refreshing, and I believe brings God great delight. 4