From: May 19, 2023
“And so I walk in the Lord’s presence as I live here on earth” (Psalms 116:9 NLT).
The psalmist wrote of his constant awareness of the Lord’s presence in His life even as he attended to the everyday things of living here on earth. It is a psalm of praise for the Lord’s attentive ear and caring heart, which the psalmist had experienced. So faithful was the Lord in hearing and answering his prayers, that he felt His heavenly presence with him all the day here on earth. They were in constant contact.
Are you aware of the Lord’s constant presence in your life? Do you carry on an ongoing conversation with God even as you go about your day? We don’t have to wait for heaven to walk in the Lord’s presence. We can walk with the Lord even now, as we live here on earth.
PRAYER: Lord, thank You for Your Holy Spirit who abides in us as Your children. We do not walk alone. For You are always with us. Help us to always abide in You. Forgive us when we try to live life according to our own wisdom and strength. We want to always walk in Your presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: May 19, 2016
In many places Jesus was rejected, but in the land where John the Baptist had preached, “many believed.” I wonder what made this place different? Was it John’s plowing that prepared the soil of their hearts to receive the gospel seed? What made the people there more spiritually receptive to the gospel? Whether we are plowing, sowing or reaping, I pray that we will ultimately see “many believe.”
From: May 19, 2015
In some places Jesus was rejected, but in the land where John the Baptist had preached, they believed. I wonder what made this place different? Was it John’s plowing that prepared the soil of their hearts to receive the gospel seed? Whether we are plowing, sowing or reaping, I pray that we will ultimately see “many believe.”
From: May 19, 2014
David and his six hundred men hid in the caves of En Gedi while Saul’s troops searched for him. This was a difficult wilderness experience for David, but an important and formative season for him as well. He wrote many of his psalms during this time. He learned to lead his men and himself through difficulty by depending on the Lord. He experienced trial, hunger and suffering, yet God provided for him and his followers. This trial also revealed David’s heart of integrity, as he refused to murder the Lord’s anointed, Saul, when he found him vulnerable in a cave. David’s days in the caves of En Gedi prepared him for his days on the throne in Jerusalem.
From: May 19, 2013
After numbering the ways the Lord had blessed him, the psalmist considered how he might respond. What would be appropriate? How do you repay the One who gives us all? The apostle Paul’s response seems best: Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom.12.1). In other words, we render all that we have, all that we are, all that we think, all that we say, all that we sing, all that we own, all that we love… to God!