<< PDF of All Five Days >>
Pray:
Ask God to orient or reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Psalm 37: 18-26
“18 The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. 19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. 20 But the wicked will perish: Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke. 21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; 22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed. 23 The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; 24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. 25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.”
Understand:
We can rest assured that the Lord is keeping track of us, His eye is forever on us. We can know with confidence that He will give us what we need, for we know that we have an eternal inheritance. But this is not the case with those who have rejected Him. David reiterates their fate to us again. One day they will seem to have it made, their life as beautiful as a field of flowers, and then the next day they’re mowed down and left smoldering.
Remember that David writes this Psalm when he was an old man, and he wants to drive the point home to us that he has “never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread.” Oh, they may stumble along the way, but they will never be forsaken! The Lord holds the believer securely in His hand.
Apply:
Maybe you’ve stumbled in the past week. Maybe anger has gotten a hold of your heart and you’ve lashed out at someone.
Would you be still and wait on the Lord, would you let Him pull you back up on your feet?
If you need to repent, then repent right now and move on. Don’t dwell in the past. Your sins have been forgiven. Remember that you have an eternal inheritance that has been secured in Christ. He died to set you free from sin. (Heb. 9:15) “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
Now remember… remember and thank God for all that He’s done for you!
Take a moment and ask Him to help you to be faithful to what He has called you to do today and know that He will be right beside you with His hand upon you.
Now wait, be still and be quiet; and let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. (Col. 3:15)
Live:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.) Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today. KEEP PRAYING THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.