Psalms 62:4 (63:3)
Because Your mercy is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Encouraging Words
His mercy is better than life. Life on this earth is temporary. We have a life of eternity before us. A life that has the promise of no more pain, no more sorrow, no more sickness. It is because of this promise and the mercy that we are given by the owner of that promise, that our lips shall praise Him. Glory be to God!
Psalms 62:2 (63:1)
O God, my God, I rise early to be with You;
My soul thirsts for You.
How often my flesh thirsts for You
In a desolate, impassable, and waterless land.
Personal challenge
Does my soul really the thirst for my God? Not as much as it should. Our God has given His all for us, why shouldn’t we give our all to Him? Now is the time to rise early so that we can be with Him. Now is the time to thirst after Him so that He can quench that thirst. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
Psalms 61:9 (62:8)
Hope in Him, all you congregation of people;
Pour out your hearts before Him;
God is our helper.
Encouraging Words
Oh, how appropriate are the words of the Psalmist of old in the midst of today’s pandemic. “Hope in Him, all you congregation of people.” He is our only hope. He is our salvation, in this and in every other situation that we find ourselves in. What an opportune time in our lives to turn our hearts and minds to Him, to love Him, and to show His love to our neighbor. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Psalms 61:7-8 (62:6-7)
For He is my God and my savior,
My protector; I shall never be moved.
Encouraging Words
Here we are in the midst of a pandemic with unprecedented requirements for an entire country to shelter in place and to socially distance ourselves from each other. Life is a whole lot different than we are used to. To some, this is becoming a time of worry and concern. My suggestion in times like this is to read the Psalms. Over and over and over again, we are reminded how much God cares for us, saves us, and protects us. He is my protector and I have nothing to fear. Glory be to God!
Psalms 61:6 (62:5)
However, be submissive to God, O my soul,
For my patient endurance is from Him.
Personal Challenge
We are hearing a lot nowadays about how difficult it is to have our actions and interactions with others restricted. It is indeed challenging to not be able to do what we have always done; go where we want to go, when we want to, and just be free to do our own thing, but it is for our own good and for the good of our neighbor. Throughout the history of mankind, people have been restricted this way, not because of a global pandemic, but because they were oppressed or hated by those who ruled over them. Maybe we should learn from this to be more compassionate and caring toward the oppressed, the marginalized, the shut-ins around us, and every one of our neighbors. This is one way to be submissive to God and to receive His patient endurance.
Psalms 61:2-3 (62:1-2)
Shall not my soul be submissive to God?
For from Him is my salvation.
For He is my God and my savior,
My protector; I shall be shaken no more.
Personal Challenge
Isn’t this something that no one wants to do? We say that we love God, but surely He will not ask us to submit to Him. He promises to be our salvation and our protector. But do I really have to submit to Him to receive these promises? Didn’t He give us free will so that we could choose to do what we want? He did give us free will, but He desires that we be submissive to Him by choice so that He can work in our lives. Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
Psalms 60:9 (61:8)
So I will sing praise to Your name unto ages of ages,
That I may pay my vows day to day.
Personal Challenge
Sometimes it is difficult to be praising the name of God, especially when the world is going crazy around us. It is imperative, however, that we keep our focus on Him at all times so that we can see Him at work in our lives. Let us sing praise to Him unto the ages of ages and to pay our rows day to day. Glory be to God!
Psalms 60:2-5 (61:1-4)
Hear my supplication, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I cried out to You
When my heart was discouraged;
You lifted me high on a rock.
You guided me, for You became my hope,
A tower of strength from the face of the enemy.
I will dwell in Your tabernacle unto the ages;
I will be covered with the shelter of Your wings. (Pause)
Encouraging Words
We are not alone. God hears our prayers and supplications. He lifts us up above the cares of this world. He guides us and gives us hope. He shelters us in a tower of strength that the enemy cannot penetrate. He lets us dwell in His tabernacle. What more can we hope for? Glory be to God!
Psalms 58:17-18 (57:16-17)
But I will sing of Your power,
And greatly rejoice in Your mercy in the morning;
For You are my protector,
And my refuge in the day of my affliction.
You are my helper; I will sing to You;
For You, O God, are my protector;
You are my mercy, O my God.
Encouraging Words
As we enter into this stage of concern and sometimes fear related to the coronavirus outbreak in our country, it is easy to become enmeshed in the hysteria brought on by those who do not have the hope that we do. It is our responsibility to show the love of Christ to everyone around us. Our hope is in the loving God. Our hope is in the merciful God. He is our protector. He is our refuge. He is our helper. He is our mercy. In this, we can find peace and love for one another. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
Verse of the Day 