Verse of the Day 8/1

 

Verse of the Day 8/1

Psalm 142:5-6 I cry to you, Lord;
I say, "You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living."
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am in desperate need;
rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me. New International Version (NIV)

The other day we considered how the disciples called out to Jesus to save them from the storm and he delivered them, calmed the raging seas.

In today's passage, David is being pursued by his enemies and he has sought shelter in a cave. Jesus was physically with the disciples in the boat, God was present with David in the cave even though he could not be seen. David knew that in God, not in the cave, would he find his true refuge, his true hope to be delivered from those who were "hounding"him.

We may face natural storms in life that threaten our livelihood, we also may be hounded by adversaries or the onslaught of things that we need to do. We may seek a physical retreat at times from the fray, but what we really need through it all is to seek God, to cry out to him, acknowledge our "desperate need" and find our rest in Him.

I could picture David writing and singing a song like the following from Michael W. Smith in those times in the cave.

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me
And I I'm desperate for you
And I I'm lost without you

May we seek and may we have His holy presence living in us as we face the day and it's challenges.

Blessing,

Mike

Psalm 142 The Message (MSG)

A David Prayer—When He Was in the Cave

142 1-2 I cry out loudly to God,
loudly I plead with God for mercy.
I spill out all my complaints before him,
and spell out my troubles in detail:
3-7 "As I sink in despair, my spirit ebbing away,
you know how I'm feeling,
Know the danger I'm in,
the traps hidden in my path.
Look right, look left—
there's not a soul who cares what happens!
I'm up against it, with no exit—
bereft, left alone.
I cry out, God, call out:
'You're my last chance, my only hope for life!'
Oh listen, please listen;
I've never been this low.
Rescue me from those who are hunting me down;
I'm no match for them.
Get me out of this dungeon
so I can thank you in public.
Your people will form a circle around me
and you'll bring me showers of blessing!"

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