Short, relevant, inspirational, biblical devotions

Hear my prayer, Lord,
listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my weeping.
I dwell with you as a foreigner,
a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
13 Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again
before I depart and am no more. Psalm 39:11-13

This is an interesting prayer of King David’s.

He prayed that he would enjoy life again. Who among us hasn’t been in those shoes before? We all have and we have the scars to prove it.

Life is hard, it really is.
Life situations are complicated, complex, and full of stress and strife.

We have to play the hand we’re dealt but it certainly doesn’t make it easy.

David knew all about that kind of stress and strife. He had enemies in the thousands.

He also knew where his help came from: God above.

We know all of that but we forget and drift away, almost daily it seems.

But today and tomorrow are brand new days, days that we can begin to enjoy life again.

Enjoy life as a child enjoys it: no worries or cares and complete dependence on their caregiver.

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens. Psalm 68:19

Burdens are burdens because we take them on and carry them. By definition, they’re heavy and cumbersome. To get rid of them we have to help solve them.

Or do we?

No, not at all.

God may have us be a part of the solution and often a major part of the solution, but no, we really need to hurl our burdens on God.

We simply can’t bear everything we take on. It’s not emotionally possible to do that. And I don’t believe it’s what God wants us to do.

He can bear those burdens.
He can come up with creative ways to solve them.
He can watch over those loved one where you have zero control over.
He can relieve you of the weighty chore of solving difficult and complicated tasks.

But we have to throw it on Him again and again and again, because we tend to think we can do it better and more efficiently than God. No, we’ll never say that, but we take on the burden nonetheless.

Sometimes you’ll have to relieve yourself of the burden several times a day if it’s a pressing burden.

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens. Psalm 68:19

Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me. Psalm 119:133

Two distinct prayers are in this verse, though they are related.

First, in order to be guided by the Word of God, we must know the Word of God. At the very least we must know its principles inside and out. To do that, we need to soak it in whenever and wherever we can. If the Bible is the lamp to light our path, we’ve certainly got to know it and live it.

Secondly, as we read, study, and apply God’s Word, sin should become less and less appealing. That certainly doesn’t mean that we are no longer tempted or that we do not sin.
On the contrary.
We will be tempted more. But the important part is that sin should not rule over us.

It all goes back to getting into the Word of God and applying it liberally to our lives.

Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
from the plots of evildoers.
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
they shoot suddenly, without fear. Psalm 64:2-4

Whether we realize it or not, evil people exist. These are people who plot and scheme and devise plans to corrupt society. They do it for their own personal gain and because they believe they are doing mankind a favor.

They exist globally and locally. I used to think that people don’t do things against you, but they merely do things for themselves. While it is true, it’s not the whole truth. While people are selfish and greedy, quite a few are vindictive and out to get you. They actively plot to hurt people. We don’t think that’s possible because we wouldn’t think about doing that.

David’s prayer, however, was to be hidden from the plots and schemes of those plotting against him. As king, David knew very well what people said and some of the plots they had. When people want to overthrow a leader, they can be vicioius and vindictive.

Pray these words over your loved ones. We know for a fact that the evil one is plotting and scheming againt us in a number of ways. We need God to defend and protect and those we love.

Those who devise wicked schemes are near,
but they are far from your law.
151 Yet you are near, Lord,
and all your commands are true. Psalm 119:150-151

As we walk through life, we really have to be reminded that God is near despite the evil and wickedness we see and face all day.

There’s no doubt in my mind that evil lurks all around us. Most of the time we’re unaware of just how close it is. Partly that’s because we think that since we live relatively normal lives that so does everybody else.

Acknowledge God as if He were in the same room as we are because He really is that close. So, whether you happen to be in a bad part of town, across the ocean in a foreign land, or just reading through some of the heinous acts the news often presents us, know that God is, as the song says, “as close as the mention of His name.””

I know, this is Prayer 101, but life throws a lot at us so we need to be reminded of just how close God is.