Psalm

Psalm 5 verse 3 says:

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.

Here we see a connection between praying and expecting.

As David declares he waits on the Lord and makes the desires of his heart known to the Lord, he then does something important. He waits expectantly.

When we pray and we begin to expect we are on the look out for God moving in answer to our prayer. It is a good way to live. In expectancy, we begin to see and notice the Holy Spirit at work where previously we had been oblivious.

The power of expectancy is we wait in hope of the answer. Expectancy is actually an evidence of faith. Faith in a God who hears and answers prayer. And Faith that in praying it, I will receive and not miss it.

PRAYER: Father, like David I want to pray and expect to receive. I ask you to build my faith to receive from you that which I pray. Lead me Lord, In Jesus name, Amen.

Psalm 64 verse 3, 7-8 says:

3 They sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim cruel words like deadly arrows…
7 But God will shoot them with his arrows;
they will suddenly be struck down.
8 He will turn their own tongues against them
and bring them to ruin;
all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.

David writes about those who wound him with their words. Did you know words can wound? The only saying about sticks and stones being the only thing to hurt you is wrong.

David’s enemies use their tongues like swords and arrows. And David is on the other end of this.

But David responds by confessing the word of the Lord. The Word is that those who use their tongues as arrows will suffer at the hands of their own tongues.

David is prophesying, those who lives by the arrow, die by the arrow!

Some people seek to lift themselves by waging a war of words behind others backs. There are many reasons you should never partake in juicy gossip or other slanderous talk. But one of them is blatantly simple. What you will reap what you sow.

It is foolishness of seek to advance yourself via the arrows of the tongue. It might temporarily lift you but eventually the fallen, fallible nature of it will let you down and let you down badly! If you live by the arrow, you will die by it too.

David’s remedy is clear. Don’t ever wage war with the tongue as your weapon. Instead find refuge in the Lord (verse 10). Unlike the tongue, He will never let you down.

PRAYER: Father, sanctify my tongue today. I choose to submit my tongue under your Lordship that whatever is noble, uplifting and edifying will be all that passes by my lips today. I ask for your grace Lord, in Jesus name, Amen.

Psalm 51:10 David writes these famous words:

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

This is David’s prayer of repentance. What is repentance? It is a change of heart or thinking (Gr. metanoia). David has sinned with Bathsheba and when confronted before God he repented.

What does repentance look like? David gives us an insight with his prayer “create in me a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me”. This is David’s change of thinking before God.

This has two elements. 1) A pure heart and 2) Steadfast spirit.

1. Create in me a pure heart.
Why does David pray this? We need one because we don’t have one naturally. Ezekiel 36 tells us God fashions in us a newness of heart to desire Him and His ways over the ways of the flesh. We will follow the desires of our heart. A pure heart will follow a Holy God.

2. Renew a steadfast spirit.
A steadfast and faithful spirit is the Spirit of God in our lives. But when we fall we need to renew that and restore that back to a place of committing our way before Him. That is why David wrote of the Lord being the shepherd who “restores our soul” (Ps 23).

When we fall and repent, a new heart to know and follow God and a renewed Spirit and commitment to walk in the ways of God is what we need. David prayed for it and so should we.

PRAYER: Father, I repent of my sinfulness and following after my flesh. Clean my heart. Renew my Spirit before you Lord. Allow me to know and walk in your ways. In Jesus name, Amen.

Psalm 91 verses 1 and 2 says:

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

The promise here is one of DWELLING and RESTING. That is, if you dwell – make your place of living, your home, you abode – in the shelter of God, you will have rest because of His presence (shadow).

In other words, if you choose to draw close to God daily, you will find His presence. And in His presence is sustaining, refreshing, empowering rest for you.

This is the way He has ordained for you and I to live our lives. Dwelling with Him, and resting in Him.

Have you ever reached the end of yourself? The end of your patience? The end of your strength? The end of intellect? The end of your mercy? If you have, this is the good thing! Why? Because it points you to your need for something more than you possess and that is God!

How do we get that something more of God? We need to draw near, under the shelter of the Most High.

If you’ve ever been caught out in a thunderstorm you know you need to draw in near shelter. You might find it under a tree, or under the eaves of a building. The closer you get to the object providing shelter the drier and safer you will be.

It is the same with God. We can live our lives under our own steam, but when lightning strikes in your life. Where do you need to get to? You need to draw near to God, under the shelter He provides.

This is how God wants us to live with Him. He wants us to come close and rest in His presence. It is a very practical picture of what walking with God does for us.

PRAYER: Father God, forgive me for striving in my own strength. I choose to draw near to you today and rest in the shelter of your presence. Thank you Lord, In Jesus name, Amen.

Psalm 90 verse 17 says:

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.

It is the responsibility of man to work on the earth. We have all been given tasks, assignments and callings to pursue and fulfil.

The work we do can take up much of our lives, our focus and our energy. But without the favour and grace of God it will not be established.

This is a great prayer to pray because it appeals to God in humility “I can’t do this without you!”. Even though we work and labour and do all we do, it is the favour of God that will cause it breakthrough, last, succeed, achieve it’s end.

When the favour of God is with you, the work of your hand goes:

• From being good to being great
• From being possible to being probable
• From being maybe viable to being incredibly valuable
• From being ‘maybe’ to being certain!

That is what your hard work PLUS the favour of God will establish in your life.

PRAYER: Father, I humbly call upon your name and cry out for your favour! I submit all I am doing in this life under your hand and bring it all under your Lordship. My labour belongs to you. Lead me, guide me that your favour may rest upon me and the work of my hand may last with eternal value. In Jesus name, Amen.