Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 19–20; Psalm 55; Matthew 28
Scripture Focus:
Psalm 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
Observation:
The context of this Psalm is trouble. David has been betrayed by someone who used to be his friend. You can feel the agony in his heart when he says,
“12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.
13 But it was you, a man my equal,
My companion and my acquaintance.
14 We took sweet counsel together,
And walked to the house of God in the throng.
David wishes he could run away from his problems:
6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 Indeed, I would wander far off,
And remain in the wilderness. Selah
8 I would hasten my escape
From the windy storm and tempest.”
But instead, he chooses this path:
16 As for me, I will call upon God,
And the LORD shall save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
Application:
I’ve been wounded by a friend, and I understand how painful it is. It’s so easy to want to run away when that happens. David chose a different path, however. He turns to God and cries out to him throughout the day—”evening and morning and at noon.”
The prayer pattern caught my eye when I read it. I remembered how Daniel used to pray three times a day. It seems to me that’s a good habit to get in. That way, when I encounter tough emotional times, I’m already doing the one thing that will bring the most help and relief.
Prayer:
Abba Father, thank you for being available at any time, but especially during tough times.
