Moody Grad

I think "resting" in God means allowing God to refresh you and renew your spirit through His word and meditation. Just now, I sought God's peace by reminding myself to "be still" and remember all the good things He has done for me. I can be at peace when I allow myself time to let His Spirit refresh and renew and remember that He has many great plans in store for me yet.

The river and streams of verse 4 reminds the overly busy individual that rest and refreshment can be found in Christ. I find that knowing that God is God and I am not brings me great peace. I don't need to try to be in control of my life. My words can be measured. I don't need to let my frustration come out in appropriate language. He commands us to be still so that we can learn to rest in Him.

When I say, "Into your hands I commit my spirit" I believe it means that I can trust God to do what is best for me in this situation. It gives me peace, because I don't feel the pressure to force things to happen. Likewise, "my times are in your hands", brings peace that my Father has a perfect plan for me. In addition, placing myself in His hands can protect me from myself just as Jesus sent the disciples away into the storm to keep them from establishing an earthly kingdom with Jesus as the king (Matt. 14:22, 24)

He calms himself as a small child is quieted and at peace with his mother. He sets his hope on the Lord. He is not proud or haughty nor does he try to do anything beyond his abilities. Instead, he looks to the Lord for future consolation. "Oh my soul, set your hope in God. I shall find my peace and rest in Him who can do greater things than I could ever imagine."

I am memorizing Psalm 61. I am enjoying seeing the images in this psalm in a new way. The words are becoming my own as I place them in my heart. I pray that these words will stay with me and strengthen me. May they also be available to me to share with others who are longing for Christ's protection. It is my prayer that I may dwell in the house of the Lord forever and abide in the shadow (shelter) of his wings.

I am comforted to know that He never forgets me and always cares for me. He protects me as if I were the only person on Earth. How awesome it is to know that God will "keep me from all harm." Psalm 121 makes me feel like the most important person, which is true of each of us in God's eyes. He is vigilant to protect us and look upon us with favor.

He refers to God as His rock, refuge, strong tower, tent, and the shelter of His wings. When I think of all these images, it makes me feel like God will protect me and care for me at all times. When I place myself in Him, I am safe and secure. Nothing can harm me when I run to my Savior.

My prayer would be this: Oh, Lord, we cry out to you. We need you to save us from ourselves for we have sinned against you. Restore us. Renew us. Then we will call on your name and not forget you. You are our God. Remember us so that we may shine again in this land. Humility, repentance, persistence, and hope are all parts of a prayer for revival. As in 2 Chr. 7:14, those who cry out to God on a regular basis in humility and repent of their sins will find salvation and healing for themselves and/or their land. This kind of prayer works because it recognizes that only God can revive and restore. Man must surrender Himself to Christ to be changed and saved from himself.

We need humility and faith both because there are many things we cannot do on our own. We must remember the many "wonders" He has done for us as stated early in the psalm. Speaking of myself, without humility I can become proud and not see my need of a Savior to help me. Without faith, I have no hope and I wallow in despair and low self-esteem. But when faith and humility "join hands," I can see the hope that I have in a Savior who raises me out of the pit into new places of joy that I could not find on my own. I know this is true when I think of some recent circumstances in my life.

I want to praise Him and thank Him for all He has done. Who am I that He would consider me so important? I will bless the Lord for all the wonderful things He has done. He has reached out to me in my despair and lifted me up and blessed me in new, exciting ways.

I sang an old chorus based on Psalm 95:1,2. The song says: Come, let us sing before the Lord. Let us make a joyful noise to our God. For He is our Rock and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Chorus: It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. And to sing praises unto Thy name, O most high. I love that song because it reminds me to joyfully praise the God who cares for me and to thank Him at all times. Also, old choruses are just as meaningful as new ones. Praise the Lord!

We should praise because God has saved His people from harm. He has showed His love and faithfulness. I think praise is so exuberant because the Israelites likely had just secured a major victory in battle. My congregation can be pretty exuberant in praise but I struggle with that sometimes in my life. I think I lose some of the exuberance because I forget what He has done for me and begin to focus too much on my immediate situation.

We commanded to worship our "great God," "the Rock of our salvation," "the King above all gods," "our Maker," and our Shepherd. We should worship because He made us, he cares for us, and he is our Lord. The warning is included to show that worshiping God is not optional. He is a jealous God who will not accept anyone who does not worship Him. The psalm previously exhorts the reader to worship the Lord for the wondrous things He has done. The Israelites saw God's wondrous works but still refused to bow down and worship Him.

In God's love, we find peace and protection. I know that because He loves me everything will turn out for good for His glory.

He feels "downcast" and "disturbed." He combats this by choosing to hope in God and continue to praise Him. I felt this very keenly the last few days but I thank God that I clung to my faith and allowed others to encourage me and help me continue to praise my God and King. These verses are so valuable to me today as I commit myself more fully to God.

One who "dwells in the house of the Lord" seeks to be connected to what God wants at all times. When I "seek his face", I desire to know and do His will at all times and to cry out to Him for strength. In the end, David remains us to be confident and we will see "the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living," everything good that God has in store for us.

I meditated on Psalm 139 and noted how God is all-consuming and knows me so intimately. I can do nothing but join with the psalmist in praising my Creator.

The psalmist praises God and treasures the thoughts of him as he thinks on the wonders of creation. In the concluding prayer, he asks God to search him, reveal his anxiety and any offensive way so that he may walk in the ways of the Lord forever. This is my prayer today especially in these very hectic times when it can be easy to doubt that God will make me a success as I serve Him.