Psalms 32:22 (33:22)
Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
As we hope in You.
Encouraging Words
Do we desire mercy in our lives? Do we long for peace and joy? There is only one place where we can find this. It is in the arms of our loving God. He is the one that we put our hope in. He is the one that we can trust. He is the one who gives us mercy, joy, and peace. Glory be to God!
Psalms 32:18 (33:18)
Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
Encouraging Words
Why is that when so many of us hear that the eyes of the Lord are on us, that we immediately go to the concern that He is looking for every opportunity to punish us? Is it because we feel guilty in our actions and thoughts? Is it because that is the image that we have of God, a mean, angry judgmental God? Or is it because we know God well enough that we know that in His presence all that we can do is fall on our face in awe of who He is and in trembling trepidation of who we are. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
Psalms 31:8 (32:8)
Encouraging Words
One of the things that we must always remember when we read the promises that God makes to us is the context of the promise. God promises us here that He will give us understanding and teach us the way that we should walk. He is not promising us earthly understanding, but His Godly wisdom that transcends this temporal earth. If we are looking for understanding and wisdom that will only fit our desires and our passions, then we will miss out on the heavenly understanding that He is giving us. If we are looking only for clarity for our earthly path then we will not see the eternal path that He wants to teach us about and lead us on. We must learn to live and think in His context to truly get it. Everything in our life needs to be about Him and not about us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Psalms 30:24-25 (31:23-24)
Love the Lord, all you His saints,
For the Lord seeks out truth,
And He repays those who act with great arrogance.
Be courageous, and let your heart be strengthened,
All who hope in the Lord.
Personal Challenge
It is one thing to proclaim that we are a child of God but is entirely a different thing to love Him above all else in our lives, including our very existence. If we love Him this much, then our lives will be different. The things of this world will no longer attract our attention. Our actions will reflect God and His love for us. I know that I have so far to go on this journey of life to love Him that much. Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
Psalms 30:1-6 (31:1-5)
In You, O Lord, I hope; may I not be ashamed forever;
In Your righteousness deliver and rescue me.
Incline Your ear to me;
Rescue me speedily;
Be to me a God who protects me,
And a house of refuge to save me.
For You are my strength and my refuge,
And for Your name’s sake You will guide and sustain me;
For You will bring me out from the snare they hid for me;
For You are my protector.
Into Your hands I shall entrust my spirit;
You redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.
Personal Challenge
We live in a society that prides itself on being full of self-starters, self-sufficient men, and women. It is no wonder why so many people act as if God does not exist. If we believe that we can do everything by ourselves, then we will ultimately believe that there is no God that holds everything together. I choose to side with the Psalmist on this and proclaim that it is “In you, O Lord, I hope.” I am nothing without God. I am helpless and bare without God. But I am everything when I am willingly in His hands. Glory be to God!
Psalms 29:12-13 30:11-12)
You turned my lamentation into dancing for me;
You tore up my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
That my glory may sing praise to You,
And not be pierced with sadness;
O Lord my God, I shall give thanks to You forever.
Encouraging Words
Our God only wants the best for us. He is not some great punisher in the sky eagerly waiting for us to mess up so that He can punish or. He loves us. He gave His Son for us. When we truly embrace how much He loves us, we too will see our lamentations turn into dancing and our sackcloth of mourning torn up and replaced with gladness. Glory be to God!
Psalms 29:6 (30:5)
For there is wrath in His anger,
But life in His will;
Weeping will lodge at evening,
But great joy in the morning.
Encouraging Words
God hates sin. But because of Jesus, our sin is forgiven and we are wiped clean. When God looks at us, He sees Jesus. This is where we receive life, in His will. As we go through this earthly life we struggle with sin, but when we fall asleep in Him, we will awake to great joy in the morning. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Psalms 26:13-14 (27:13-14)
I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
Wait on the Lord;
Be courageous, and strengthen your heart,
And wait on the Lord.
Encouraging Words
No matter how crazy the world gets around us we can still believe that God is in control, for He is, and wait on Him. His goodness will always be present in the land of the living. We just have to look through the fog of this world to find the light of our Lord that is always shining bright. This is why we need to be courageous, strengthen our hearts, and wait on Him. Glory be to God!
Verse of the Day 