God Speaks
Declaring God’s Sovereignty and Seeking His Help and Blessing
Verse of the Day: [May we pray these verses on behalf of ourselves, our families and friends, our communities, our nation and our world.] But You, Sovereign LORD, help me for Your name’s sake; out of the goodness of Your love, deliver me. . . . Help me, LORD my God; save me according to Your unfailing love. Let them know that it is Your hand, that You, LORD, have done it. (Psalm 109:21, 26-27 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection
Consider the following questions regarding Psalms 108-110?
> 1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
> 2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Psalms 108
1. God is worthy of all our trust, praise, and honor, and He is sovereign over the nations.
2. People were created to trust, praise, and honor God. We find confidence and satisfaction when we rest in Him.
Psalms 109
1. God can and will rescue people from their adversaries if they will (at least attempt to) turn from their wicked ways and cry out to Him.
2. Wicked people have always attacked and falsely accused the righteous ones. This psalm shows what we should do when this happens: lay out our case before the LORD and cry out to Him for help.
Psalm 110
1. In this psalm, God the Father is welcoming God the Son back from His mission of salvation as Jesus of Nazareth and proclaiming His position as both priest and king.
2. People (nations) are to humble themselves and submit to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This is the reward for His suffering and death on the cross and celebrates His resurrection.
Prayer
> 3. How might I pray regarding Psalms 108-110?
Dear great and trustworthy God, thank You for the confidence I can have in Your never-failing love. Your faithfulness cannot be measured. It reaches further than the outer limits of the vast universe You have created. It is to You alone that Your people can look for rescue. Please do this since You have promised by Your holiness to do so. You are ruler over all the nations large and small, near and far. You are sovereign over all our enemies, whether natural or supernatural. I affirm my faith in You, LORD, even when my emotions or circumstances might tell me that You have abandoned me or those about whom I’m concerned. Please help us because all human help is useless. I will forever praise You, awesome God. O Faithful God, only You can and will rescue people from their adversaries. But they must repent and, at least attempt to, turn from their wicked ways and cry out to You. Wicked people have always attacked and falsely accused the righteous ones. What should we do when this happens? Lay out our case before You. LORD, and cry out to You for help. Dear Father-God who knows the hearts of all people, please hear and respond to the cries of the righteous. Defend them against the wicked ones. Jesus, when You were here on the earth, You told us to both love and pray for our enemies. Therefore, I ask Your blessings on the wicked ones. “Please send them Your goodness in place of their evil. Use their trials to bring them to You in repentance. Apply the blood of Christ to remove their guilt. Answer their prayers of confession. Grant them long lives of service to You on the earth. May their children come to know You as their Heavenly Father. May their wives know You as their Husband-Provider. May their children and households prosper and bring You glory by blessing others, even strangers. May people be kind to both them and their children. May their names be held in respect by future generations because of Your work in their lives. Because of Jesus, may the sins of their parents be forgiven and no longer be held against them. May their names be revered for Your work in their lives. May curses by them or against them be turned into blessings. May they distribute to those in need the food, drink, clothing, and other necessities and/or luxuries You have given them. May they be supplied with the belt of truth and all the rest of the armor of God. May they bless and not curse those they have maligned. I pray that the righteous ones will be given these blessings as well. Father God, thank You for sending Your beloved Son to be the Savior of the world. Thank You, Jesus for faithfully completing that mission. I appreciate and applaud You, LORD, for honoring Him in all these ways. Father, reward Jesus for His suffering and death on the cross. We will celebrate His resurrection forever. All to bring glory to You, LORD. AMEN
Action (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
> 4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Psalms 108-110?
With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will pray for the LORD to humble the enemies of God and His people wherever they are, whatever their position in life, and whoever they think themselves to be.
- I will engage in a calm discussion with a relative, friend, or stranger about their view of God and life and then briefly explain my biblical understanding.
- I will join with others at church and sing praises to our great God.
- I will take courage and speak up for someone specific who is living righteously but is being persecuted and maligned by the wicked ones.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.