Establish the Work of Our Hands - Your Nightly Prayer - May 17th
Establish the Work of Our Hands
Your Nightly Prayer
by Chelsey DeMatteis
TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE
“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us.” - Psalm 90:17
SOMETHING TO PONDER
This particular Psalm brings up so many emotions for me. I love the reminder that the favor of the Lord will rest upon us, and He will establish the work of our hands. He goes before us and sees us through the valleys we endure in affliction. He calls us to be still and wait. What captivates my heart most is the author's cry for God to show visible compassion. For those reading this, I pray you feel the courage to cry out to God in this same way and trust that He will respond through His mercy.
Isn’t it beautiful the way God speaks straight to our hearts? He gave us a whole book filled with letters written to show us how to not only live for Him, love like Him, and lead people to Him, but to humble us, convict us, and bring redemption to our souls. We get to live in the security that we serve a God who promises to help us and establish us. This means that, whatever God has planned, He will make a way for it all to come together, and we get to be part of those plans as we walk in faithfulness. We see this in Psalm 90: we have to repent of what we have done, turn back to God with a faithful heart, and then walk where He calls us to go.
This Psalm was a prayer, and I think it’s important to note the heart behind it. We can see feelings of being overwhelmed by the things they had been facing, yet they were completely secure in who God is and what He would do on their behalf. Which is exactly where you and I need to be today, secure in who God is, and if we’re not, we need to do the heart-work with Him to get there.
Moses' prayer shows he knew that God was present, that God was trustworthy, and that God wouldn’t step outside of His character. He trusted that within their stillness and submission, God would move. God would establish what He put into order. He would be the Protector and Refuge for His people.
My prayer for you and me today is that we will get quiet before the Lord and learn to pray with boldness and a heart willing to repent. I pray that we would live expectantly, seeing all that God will do in our lives. As this week unfolds, ask the Lord to show you which areas of your life you need to surrender to Him, and then pray to see Him establish the work of His hands where you are.
What areas of your life do you need to trust God to do the work?
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Father,
Thank you for establishing the work of your hands in my life. I pray that I would have the boldness to come to you with a heart of repentance, but also with the comfort to seek your compassion. Help me to find peace within your stillness and a respite for my spirit when the afflictions of life are many. Thank you for being my guide and safe place. Draw my heart closer to you.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
- Where do you pray to see the work of God in your life?
- What has God established in your life?
- Do you pray with boldness?
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Caleb Stokes
Chelsey is the voice behind the Living with Less Podcast and author of the 52-week devotional More of Him, Less of Me: Living a Christ-centered Life in a Me-centered World. She writes devotions for Lifeway Women's Journey Magazine, Crosswalk.com, and iBelieve.com. She also writes Bible reading plans for the YouVersion Bible App. Chelsey lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. You can connect with her on Instagram @chelseydematteis and at her website ChelseyDeMatteis.com.
Now that you've prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below!
