Verse of the Day 6/30

Through the Bible - Job 21-23, Acts 10:9-48   Good morning, Yesterday, a friend of mine said that he was facing the toughest day of his work life and asked for prayer.  My heart went out to him as did my prayers and the prayers of others.   While flying enroute to San Antonio yesterday I prayed for him and was led to Psalm 27.  The NKJV version has a caption before it stating "An Exuberant Declaration of Faith". The psalmist starts out by saying"The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life;  Of whom shall I be afraid? (v.1)   He goes on to descirbe situations that he had faced, enemies, even armies "ecamped" around him" but he retained his confidence in God.   Today's verse comes from a little further on in the Psalm: Ps 27:7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, I will seek."   NKJV When I read these verses I thought of my friend.  He was the picture of the psalmist.  He faced a tough situation and knew where to go for help.  To seek the Lord," to seek His face", His personal presence.  In asking others to pray for Him we were doing the same. This seeking His face in prayer should be a primary characteristic of a believer.   While it's comforting to know that others are praying for us, we should also be encouraged that the Holy Spirit is also praying for us (Romans 8:26) and Jesus prays for us as shown in John 17.   Richard B. Gaffin writes, "No matter how overwhelmed you may feel by your problems, if your trust is in Jesus Christ, you can be sure that he is praying for you now and through that prayer he will provide for you the resources to bring you relief or enable you to carry on. The most important thing that you and I need to learn about prayer is this: first of all and ultimately, prayer is not something we do but what Jesus does for us."   What difficulties and challenges do you face today?  Pray, and enlist others to pray with and for you.   In Christ, Mike   Ps 27:7-28:1 7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 When You said, "Seek My face,"My heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, I will seek." 9 Do not hide Your face from me;Do not turn Your servant away in anger;You have been my help;Do not leave me nor forsake me,O God of my salvation. 10 When my father and my mother forsake me,Then the Lord will take care of me. 11 Teach me Your way, O Lord,And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. 12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;For false witnesses have risen against me,And such as breathe out violence. 13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believedThat I would see the goodness of the LordIn the land of the living. 14 Wait on the Lord;Be of good courage,And He shall strengthen your heart;Wait, I say, on the Lord! R NKJV