“Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 124:8

Praise you, Lord, that as I face a busy week, I can go in your peace, in your strength, in your wisdom and self-control. I give this week over to you and ask that you will help me to be focused, to follow through with my “to do” list, to do first things first in a disciplined, Spirit-led way.

I give over to you the things that burden me, like being out late three nights in a row this week. Help me to pace myself well and to go in your strength. Praise you for your presence, your power and your perspective.

“Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever” (Psa. 125:1).

I praise you, LORD, Yahweh, the great I AM, that you make us unshakable as we rest in the truth of who you are. You are the unchangeable One, the Almighty One, the Undefeated One, the Eternal One, the All-seeing One, the Righteous One, the Holy One, the Loving One.

You are ever at work, you are aware of all, you are constantly, consistently, compassionately arranging the events that come into my life. You are able to take our mistakes and sins and somehow use them for good: chastening, correcting, counseling, changing us with them.

Praise you for the certainty of your work in my life today, for the certainty of your protection, presence and provision in each step, each moment, each interaction. I praise you for your going before me and preparing each event and relationship. I praise you, LORD, for you are worthy of trust.

“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore” (Psa. 125:2).

Prayer: “Today help me to exalt you in my responses, glorify you in my motives, lift up your name in my speech, please you in my actions. Help me to remember that no matter what my circumstances, your character is worthy of worship. Amen.”

Psalm 146:9 “The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow,”

[You, O Lord, not only see, but act on behalf of these weak ones, those whom men are so willing to plunder. You protect, provide and guide the vulnerable, the hurting, the defenseless ones. I praise you for your graciousness in doing so, for it shows your mercy triumphing over justice, your compassion at work in wonderful ways.]

“but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.”

[Praise be to you, Lord, that you actively intervene to block the desires of the evil one as he seeks to work through evil people. You seem to let them prosper for a while, as Hitler did for 12 years, but then bring them low. Lord, act quickly against such evil desires and evil men; foil the plans of the nations and thwart the purposes of the people; bring instead your desires to pass.]

Psalm 146:10 “The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.”

[Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you are the eternal King, ruling and over-ruling, inexorably moving history to the conclusion that you desire, that you have ordained, undeterred by the rebellion of men, the failure of believers, the resistance of the devil. You reign, for you are the sovereign Lord, worthy of worship, worthy of honor, worthy of glory, worthy of obedience.

Lord Jesus, I bow before you now, the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-loving and all-good God; I eagerly acknowledge your right to rule in my life. I give you glory and honor with my mind and mouth. And I rise up to obey you this day with my whole heart, to bring you praise and thanksgiving by doing the good deeds you have prepared for me to do before men. May you be highly honored in my life today. Amen!]

“I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven.” Psalm 123:1a

Praise you, my Heavenly Father, that you are the sovereign One, reigning over the events of our lives, and at the same time, giving us great latitude in making decisions. Praise you that you can weave all this together to bring out the results you desire.

I think of Jonah, who, as he ran away from you in his disobedience, was able to tell the sailors on his sinking ship about you, the great Creator God. Then you demonstrated your power to them by calming the storm when they threw Jonah overboard, which resulted in the sailors worshiping you. You can take our sin and use it for good. Amazing!

Praise you for your love in wanting to work with us, inviting us to partnership with you.  You call us to find joy foundationally in our relationship with you, for you are truly our heavenly Father, not just our owner.

“Save me, for I am yours…” (Ps. 119:94a). What a wonderful basis for appeal: since I belong to you, since I am your child, since I am your ambassador, since I am you servant, since I am yours, save me! And you will!

What certainty, what confidence we have in coming into your presence, O Lord God, King of the universe. The wonder is that you delight in our coming, you invite us to prayer, you call us to praise, you command us to intercede. We can please your heart when we cry out to you in prayer.

Praise you that you are the all-knowing One. You know the deep longings of our hearts, our dreams and desires. You understand our motives, you know how things will work out in the future as a result of our decisions, words and actions. You guide and protect, and you let us go the way of rebellion if we insist. As you said to the people of Israel, “So you think having a king is best? Try Saul for a few years!”

Help us, Lord God, to follow you wholeheartedly, to join you in your great work today, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving, praying through our day, obeying what we know to be true. May you be honored, pleased and exalted by our demonstrated love for You.

–from the devotional book, EDIFIED

Psalm 146:7b “The LORD sets prisoners free,”

[Right from the beginning of our lives we are all imprisoned by sin, for the web of Satan has everyone snared in its sticky strands of lies, fear and violence. Just being born into a broken and twisted world results in quirks and tightness in our personalities that bring problems, difficulties and oppression.

Our upbringing and family culture instill further dysfunctional thoughts, feelings and desires into us. Our natural worldview and its internalized values trap us into destructive feelings, desires and goals. All these lead us to emotional pitfalls and accepting false answers to the great human thirst for approval, for significance, for belonging, for security. These lies then produce fear: fear of man, fear of the future, fear of failure, fear of pain, loss and hurt. Satan uses all these to oppress, control and in the end to kill all he can.

But You, Lord Jesus, you have made a way out of this prison of oppression, opening the door to the cell of hopelessness. You have called us to step out of the darkness of fear into the light of your Love, into the rich relationship with you where our fears can be washed away in the river of your goodness and grace and glory.

Through your great sacrifice and work, your provided all we thirst for: in you we belong, we have significance, we have security and we have approval. In you there is the certainty of your shepherding us through every valley of life into the wonder of your everlasting dwelling in heaven. You have provided all that is needed for us to follow you in freedom: Your “divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life…” (2 Pet. 1:3).

You, Lord Jesus, are the great Deliverer, the mighty Shepherd, the everlasting King. You are worthy of endless honor, praise and exaltation; you are worthy of all obedience, glory and thanksgiving.

I praise you for your constant, deep, compassionate and lovely presence in my life, drawing me on to greater surrender, convicting me of the next sin, protecting me from my own foolishness, guiding and empowering me to live more and more worthy of you. So I lift you up, praise your Name and exalt your Word above all things. Use me today to bring honor to your name.

Praise be to you, Lord, for your great and gracious heart. Praise you that you look down and see every single person on this earth; you are aware of each one’s needs, desires, suffering, rebellion and anger.

I praise you that you work in the life of each, believer or not, to supply their needs: “… your Father in heaven…causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” Matt. 5:45).

You bring each one help: “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psa. 34:18).

And most importantly you offer opportunity for all to enter your Kingdom “when he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world [everyone] of sin, righteousness, and judgment….” (John 16:8-10).

Psalm 146:7 “He upholds the cause of the oppressed”

[You, Heavenly Father, went right to the core of the issue and provided an escape from the sources of oppression: Satan, sin and self. All other oppression we experience flows out of these three.

Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, for paying the price of great, deep, profound, excruciating suffering to provide the only possible way out from this oppression. Praise you that you give grace, guidance and goodness to your children in the midst of every oppression so we can rise above it.]

“and gives food to the hungry.”

[You are the One who provides our daily bread, you give enough to live on and you give us the freedom to share this with others, supplying for their needs. Help us not to squander or withhold from others the abundance you constantly give. We praise you that you are wonderfully generous and give freely, fully to all.]

Help us to recognize the marvelous supply you give us every day in the unending stream of gifts, help and guidance you pour into our lives. Help us to live in the light of your love and to bring honor to you in all we do.