Bible Pathways 06/30/2002
June 30
Read Psalms 31 -- 35
In Today's Reading:
David's trust in God; blessedness of forgiveness; praise to the Lord for His creation; the Lord hears the righteous; David's prayer for safety.
Verses for Today:
I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. . . . O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together. . . . This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them (34:1,3,6-7).
What a privilege we have to join with David, and the multitudes before and since his time, to pray and praise the Lord in our worship services, at mealtime, and during daily devotions; it fills our hearts with joy. But, the psalmist went beyond the expected times of worship and praise because he was continually expressing love and devotion to the Lord. He wrote: My tongue shall speak of [Your] Righteousness and of [Your] praise all the day long (Psalms 35:28).
We can, and should, praise the Lord even when everything seems to go wrong. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord [delivers] him out of them all (34:19), and God causes all things (to) work together for good to [those who] love [Him] (Romans 8:28).
David suffered numerous injustices at the hands of the enemies of God. He also suffered as result of his own sin (Psalms 31:10; 51:1-19).
He refers to himself as a broken vessel. . . . they took counsel . . . to take away my life (31:12-13). He could either have become bitter or could have blamed others; but, he chose to trust in God, and confidently said: My times are in [Your] hand (31:14-15). Only in yielding our lives to God will we find the assurance and security we long for. Our security comes, not in our effort to "hold on" to Him, but in knowing that He is holding on to us. When we may not feel like praising God because of some pressing problem, we should think about the many trying times that David experienced. Yet, he confidentally said: Be glad in the Lord, and . . . shout for joy (32:11). Yes! Without hesitation, and regardless of circumstances, our testimony should be: I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth (34:1).
Praise results from submitting to Christ and giving Him His rightful place as Lord of our lives. Then we should let everyone know that all that we are and all that we have accomplished are because of what the Lord has done in us and through us. It will be an enouragement to others: The humble shall hear (the Good News) . . . and be glad (34:2). What a difference from the worldly-minded who boastfully praise themselves for what they have accomplished without acknowledging that God gave them their abilities. With the psalmist, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name (Hebrews 13:15).
Christ Revealed:
In the prophecy: He keeps all His bones; not one of them is broken (Psalms 34:20), which was fulfilled in John 19:36: For these things were done, that the Scriptures should be fulfilled, A bone of Him shall not be broken.
Word Studies:
31:4 privily = secretly; 31:6 lying vanities = vain idols; 31:8 shut me up = given me over; 32:2 guile = deceit; 32:3 roaring = groaning; 35:12 spoiling = sorrow; 35:15 abjects = slanderers.
Prayer Needs:
Government Official: Rep. Joe Skeen (NM) · Pray for your Sunday School teacher · Country: Liberia (3 million) in West Africa · Major languages: English and more than 20 local languages of the Niger-Congo language group · Religious freedom · 41% ancestor worship and witchcraft; 21% Muslim; 13% Protestant; 2% Roman Catholic · Prayer Suggestion: Remember, what is impossible with men is possible with God (Matthew 19:26).
Optional Reading: Colossians 3
Memory Verse for the Week: Romans 1:16