Bible League: Living His Word Truly my soul silently waits for God;From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. Sometimes King David would cry out to God in prayer. For example, "Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry" (Psalm 5:1-2). In our verses for today, on the other hand, he simply waits for God in silence. Sometimes, after the cries and the supplications to God have been sent up to heaven, it is simply time to wait in silence; it is simply time to settle down and settle in for the wait. David is able to settle down and settle in for the wait because he knows by faith that God is the source of his salvation. Indeed, only God is the source of his salvation. True, there may be many factors that will play a role in saving David from his troubles. In the final analysis, however, it is the Lord God that sovereignly controls them all. Nothing will move into action until God gives the command. God alone is the rock you can depend upon. God alone is the one worth waiting for. God alone is David's defense. David is able to keep his composure despite the threats to his well-being because he knows by faith that God is protecting him from his troubles. The temptations to lose control, to frantically reach out to mere human beings, or to simply turn tail and flee the situation are real enough, but David is able to resist them. His faith in the rock of his salvation allows him to remain stable despite the difficulties. And David has confidence that he will not be greatly moved. He will not be pushed around by his troubles and by those who are giving him trouble. Because he looks in faith to the rock, he will be able to stand fast like a rock and withstand the pressures. The forces that are trying to intimidate him into losing his faith and his composure will run up against the rock and break into pieces. There is no need to break silence and abandon the wait today. The rock of your salvation is there for you--and you will not be greatly moved. Bible in a Year Old Testament Reading1 Samuel 17, 18 1 Samuel 17 -- David and Goliath NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB 1 Samuel 18 -- Jonathan's Friendship with David; Saul's Jealousy NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Luke 15:1-10 Luke 15 -- Parables of the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Prodigal Son NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Rumors are dainty morselsthat sink deep into one's heart. Insight It is as hard to refuse to listen to gossip as it is to turn down a delicious dessert. Taking just one morsel of either one creates a taste for more. Challenge You can resist rumors the same way a determined dieter resists candy—never even open the box. If you don't nibble on the first bite of gossip, you can't take the second and the third. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 28:9 Lift them up forever.God's people need lifting up. They are very heavy by nature. They have no wings, or, if they have, they are like the dove of old which lay among the pots; and they need divine grace to make them mount on wings covered with silver, and with feathers of yellow gold. By nature sparks fly upward, but the sinful souls of men fall downward. O Lord, "lift them up forever!" David himself said, "Unto thee, O God, do I lift up my soul," and he here feels the necessity that other men's souls should be lifted up as well as his own. When you ask this blessing for yourself, forget not to seek it for others also. There are three ways in which God's people require to be lifted up. They require to be elevated in character. Lift them up, O Lord; do not suffer thy people to be like the world's people! The world lieth in the wicked one; lift them out of it! The world's people are looking after silver and gold, seeking their own pleasures, and the gratification of their lusts; but, Lord, lift thy people up above all this; keep them from being "muck-rakers," as John Bunyan calls the man who was always scraping after gold! Set thou their hearts upon their risen Lord and the heavenly heritage! Moreover, believers need to be prospered in conflict. In the battle, if they seem to fall, O Lord, be pleased to give them the victory. If the foot of the foe be upon their necks for a moment, help them to grasp the sword of the Spirit, and eventually to win the battle. Lord, lift up thy children's spirits in the day of conflict; let them not sit in the dust, mourning forever. Suffer not the adversary to vex them sore, and make them fret; but if they have been, like Hannah, persecuted, let them sing of the mercy of a delivering God. We may also ask our Lord to lift them up at the last! Lift them up by taking them home, lift their bodies from the tomb, and raise their souls to thine eternal kingdom in glory. Daily Light on the Daily Path Jeremiah 45:5 But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I am going to bring disaster on all flesh,' declares the LORD, 'but I will give your life to you as booty in all the places where you may go.'"Matthew 11:29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. Philippians 2:5-8 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, • who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, • but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. • Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Matthew 10:38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 1 Peter 2:21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 1 Timothy 6:6-8 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. • For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. • If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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