Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 35:1-5 Oppose my opponents, Lord; fight those who fight me.
2 Take your shields—large and small— and come to my aid.
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers, and assure me, “I am your deliverance.”
4 Let those who intend to take my life be disgraced and humiliated;
let those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed.
5 Let them be like chaff in the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away.
Read the Entire Psalm
This is another imprecatory Psalm calling for God to come against the writer’s enemies. Notice verse 3 where the Psalmist asks God to assure the writer that God is His deliverance. The Psalm is a prayer of dependence asking God to deliver. Praise God that He is dependable, that He is deliverer. Ask Him to assure you that He is your deliverer.
Scripture Reading
Psalm 62 – New International Version
1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3 How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse
5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.
11 One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanks to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray for Jason and Lisa and their family. Ask God to provide for them, encourage them, and guide them as they serve overseas.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
If you live in Kansas, you have likely experienced a tremendous thunderstorm. You hear that crack of thunder, see the flash of lightning and can almost feel the wind pushing against your house. As the hail is pounding the roof, you might be tempted to think, “Am I safe?” I know in Kansas when the sirens sound we often go out and investigate the storm, but there is an appropriate time to seek shelter. When the storms of life roll in, where do you turn for shelter? In the storms of life it is easy to think, does God love me? Am I secure in Christ? When the storm is raging and you are in a shelter you might think, “Will this thing hold?” If you have placed your trust in Christ, you are secure. He is a sure and constant shelter for you. Col. 3:3 says that “Your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” And Romans 8 reminds us that there is nothing that can separate you from His love. There is no trauma in life that can separate you from Christ. Your security in Christ is a freeing life giving reality.
Application: Thank God that He has accepted you. Tell Him that you want to trust Him as your refuge. Ask Him to reveal places in your life that you are running for refuge other than Him.