Savoring the Scripture

A Prayer for Strength in Times of Sorrow Psalm 119:25-32 When through the deep waters I call thee to go, The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow; For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,  And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. "How Firm a Foundation"  Abraham Lincoln wrote, “In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to us all.” We live in a sad world, a broken world, cursed and marred by the fall of Adam. It is not only sad as if there could be no happiness, but it remains true that sorrow comes to us all. Sin has left its mark on this world and on each one of us. We all know someone walking a sorrowful road, or perhaps we are on one ourselves. For the believer, we too know sorrow, but we also know the Man of Sorrows, who is acquainted with grief. Not just grief in general, but He is personally, intimately acquainted with our grief. We do not carry this burden of sorrow alone. "Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried" (Isaiah 53:4 NAS...

While We Wait, We Lament… and Trust  Psalm 13 "Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord!" C.H. Spurgeon  Waiting. It’s not usually an enjoyable process. Sometimes we wait with anticipation because we know the end result will be worth the wait. Other times, waiting is very difficult as we are left in ambiguity and uncertainty. Childlessness. Depression. Difficult marriage. Broken friendship. Financial straits. Chronic illness. Work related stress. These and many other circumstances can lead to discouragement as we look and wait for a better outcome.  This discouragement can usher in depression or a “dark night of the soul.” This is described as “a crisis that comes when one senses the absence of God or gives rise to a feeling of abandonment by Him” (R.C.Sproul). How do we approach the Lord during these times? David wrote Psalm 13 to help guide us to trust in the Lord even while we wait and cry out to Him during our “dark night of the soul.” How Long, O Lord? 13:1-2 “H...

A Righteous Judge Psalm 7 “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Amos‬ ‭5:24‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Slander. Accusations. Gossip. These things hurt and cause pain, sorrow, contention, broken relationships, guilt, and grief. It can be hard to know how we ought to respond to this kind of adversity in our lives. In Psalm 7 David faces the slander of His enemies, and yet he entrusts himself to the Lord, the righteous Judge. Let’s pray today for that situation where unjust things have been spoken about you, or unjust things have been done to you, and let’s entrust ourselves to Him who judges righteously. A Cry for Rescue 7:1-2 O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.  Let’s pray: ▫️That when we are wrongly slandered, we would take refuge in the Lord. Who has slandered you or made false accusations against you? Let’s ask the L...

The Sound of Weeping  Psalm 6 “Lament is the honest cry of a hurting heart wrestling with the paradox of pain and the promise of God’s goodness.” Mark Vroegop, Dark Clouds Deep Mercy Today, I am praying for those who are grieving. These last couple of years have been difficult for many people for various reasons. Grief can be caused by different kinds of loss. But recently I have seen several people endure the heartbreaking loss of their loved one: a beloved husband, father, mother, or friend. Consider praying through Psalm 6 for your own grief or for someone who is grieving. God is the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3). Let’s pray that He will comfort the grieving in all their affliction and give them abundant comfort in Christ. The Languishing 6:1-3 “O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lor...