Psalms that Connect Us with God – Part 1 — A ‘Time With God’ Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning. Heading into a new week, and we’re going to do it with God. Each weekday morning at this time we listen to God by opening the Bible and just reading a little bit out of His word to us. That’s what the Bible is. When you read the Bible, you are actually meeting with God because God speaks to you through the Bible. He takes the words that He’s put into the Bible and by His Holy Spirit.

He takes those words and speaks right into your life. He shapes your understanding of this world and your place in it, and he starts to build a close personal relationship with you.

All this week, we want to look at some of the Psalms in the Bible that connect us with God. Most of the Psalms were written by King David in the Bible, and today I want to start with a Psalm David writes about what happens when you’re afraid. He actually wrote this Psalm in a time when he had been seized and arrested by the Philistines, enemies of Israel.

This is what he says.

“Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me.

“All day long an attacker oppresses me.”

I wonder if you’re listening today and you identify with David that there’s somebody or some people that just seem to be out to get you.

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He keeps on going. My enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly.

Listen to this: “When I am afraid I put my trust in you.”

When I am afraid I put my trust in you. Do you see the significance of that?

Not when I am afraid I freak out.

Not when I’m afraid I shut down.

Not when I’m afraid I push other people away, not when I’m afraid I push God away.

But when I’m afraid, not, I hope things will work out.

But when I am afraid, I put my trust in You, God.

He goes on to say,

“In God whose word I praise. In God I trust I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

“All day long these people injure my cause. All their thoughts are against me for evil.”

Do you feel like that today?

“They stir up strife. They lurk. They watch my steps as they have waited for my life.

“For their crime will they escape.

“In wrath cast down these people, O God.

“And then listen to his heart’s cry to God.

“You have kept count of my tossings.”

Do you wake up at night because of what’s going on, just tossing and turning, stressed, unable to get back to sleep?

“You have kept count of my tossings.

“You’ve put my tears in your bottle.”

Are they not in your book? That is, God is marking the pain in your life. He notices it.

“Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know that God is for me.”

This I know, there’s an unshakable confidence in King David’s heart in spite of the fact that he’s been arrested, in spite of the fact that everyone around him is out to get him.

This I know, that God is for me. His trust in God is not dependent on how good his circumstances are. But even in this terrible time, he knows that he knows that he knows God is on his side. God is for him.

He goes on to say, “in God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”.

“I must perform my vows to You, O God. I will render thank offerings to you, for You have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”

I’m John North.

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