My Rescue From Trouble

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

The righteous person faces many troubles,
    but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.

—Psalm 34:18-19 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

Thank You that while You never promised me a life with no troubles, You have promised to stay close to me and rescue me each time that trouble comes.

When my heart is broken, when my spirit is crushed, remind me that You remain compassionately close to me and You are intimately acquainted with everything that I am feeling.

Help me to remember that when trouble comes—whether it seems insurmountably huge in my eyes, or just a series of small frustrations that have piled up on me to wear me down and rob me of my strength to go on—You are there to rescue me.

Thank You for the times You have sovereignly chosen to shield me from trouble or completely remove the trouble from before me—sometimes, even before I knew the trouble was there—out of Your mercy for me or because You knew it was more than I could handle.

Thank You for the times You have equipped me with the strength, courage and wisdom that enabled me to stay at peace and work through the trouble that came against me—as I put my trust in You to set all things right in Your perfect timing and according to Your perfect plan.

Help me remember that trouble comes to everyone, but that my great advantage is that because of the righteousness I have through Christ, I can count on You to rescue me—either by removing trouble from me completely, or carrying me safely through it—if I will just turn to You in faith.

Thank You that while You never promised me a life with no troubles, You have promised to stay close to me and rescue me each time that trouble comes.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Boasting Only In Him

I will praise the LORD at all times.
    I will constantly speak his praises.
I will boast only in the Lord;
    let all who are helpless take heart.
Come, let us tell of the LORD’s greatness;
    let us exalt his name together.

—Psalm 34:1-3 (NLT)

LORD of All,

May I never cease to give You praise!

Whether I find myself alone or in a crowd of humanity, may the praise in my heart burst forth through my mouth in honor of all that You are!

Whether I am joyful or troubled, walking in victory or feeling defeated, may my greatest desire be to praise You in every situation and circumstance!

Let all of my boasting be boasting about You—and never out of pride in myself—so the helpless will see that they can find their hope in Your strength and Your power!

May my praise for Your greatness be an invitation—to all who will hear—to join me in forever exalting Your name!

May I never cease to give You praise!

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Forgiven: Cleared Of Guilt

Oh, what joy for those
    whose disobedience is forgiven,
    whose sin is put out of sight!
Yes, what joy for those

    whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt,
    whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
When I refused to confess my sin,
    my body wasted away,
    and I groaned all day long.
Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
    My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.

Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
    and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.”
    And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

—Psalm 32:1-5 (NLT)

Dear LORD,

           

Thank You for such an amazing love as this.

Help me never to lose sight of the truth that You want to forgive me of my sins—that because of Your love for me, this has always been Your great desire—so I can fully and freely live with joy in Your presence.

When I begin to question whether You would want to forgive me, help me to look back to the cross and see the great price You already paid to make my forgiveness possible—and there discover my value to You.

Help me to understand that when I try in vain to hide my sins from You—refusing to honestly and completely confess them before You—I am only inviting You to extend Your hand of discipline and I am opening up myself to the destruction of my body, soul and spirit.

Help me always to hurry to lay myself bare before You in repentance of my sin—knowing that You forgive my disobedience, You put my sin out of Your sight, and You clear my record of all guilt, making me as righteous in Your eyes, as Christ Himself.

Thank You for such an amazing love as this.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.