Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Sara Groves singing her song … It’s Going To Be Alright … poignantly singing of the trust we have in a caring God to bring us thru times of desperation.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 34:18 [NLT] …
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
… David knew to Whom he must turn when he was brokenhearted.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 34 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… David, on the run from King Saul, writes of turning to God in a time of desperation [see also 1Sam. 21 below).
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … 1st Samuel 21:10-15 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… David, so desperate that he would feign lunacy to save his life. This was the scene he wrote about in Psalm 34.
Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Romans 8:26-28 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
... There are times when we know not what to pray; but we can always know God’s Spirit will intervene for us.
Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Philippians 4:6-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… No worries … just prayers!
Reference Passage #4 [NKJV] : … 1st Peter 5:7 [NLT] …
7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
… Simple command; but do we follow it?
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Jolene Philo, told a personal story to illustrate praying in our times of brokenness and worry. The ODB author wrote: The morning after our son, Allen, was born, the doctor sat down in a chair near the foot of my bed and said, “Something’s wrong.” Our son, so perfect on the outside, had a life-threatening birth defect and needed to be flown to a hospital 700 miles away for immediate surgery. When the doctor tells you something is wrong with your child, your life changes. Fear of what lies ahead can crush your spirit and you stumble along, desperate for a God who will strengthen you so you can support your child. [see photo] …
Then my husband, Hiram, arrived and heard the news. After the doctor left, Hiram said, “Jolene, let’s pray.” I nodded and he took my hand. “Thank You, Father, for giving Allen to us. He’s Yours, God, not ours. You loved him before we knew him, and he belongs to You. Be with him when we can’t. Amen.”
We all have times, when we feel pretty desperate, don’t we[?] … even tho we trust in a God Who cares for us (see 1st Peter 5:7). And in those times, all we can do is pray (see Phil. 4:6-7). But there are times, as in the scenario above, when it’s even difficult to do that, not finding the words to pray (see Romans 8:26-28).
Young David, desperate and on the run from King Saul, was in a place [see highlight passage] where he was compelled to even feign lunacy to save his life (see 1Samuel 21:10-15); but he knew that God watches over the lives/hearts of the brokenhearted (see Psalm 34:18); and so he ultimately took his anxieties to God in prayer/song.
And since we know and believe in reference passages 2-4 above (well , don’t we?!!), we know that God is always close and wouldn’t do, or allow, anything that was not for His glory and our good as Christians! So, why should we not take our desperation to Him? And even if we know not what to pray, we can rely on God’s Spirit to pray for us (see Rom. 8:26-28).
So, anybody feeling anxious or down today? … Listen to the song linked above; and let’s take it to God!!
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, …Pray for me, Lord! I need Your help today. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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