DEVOTIONAL

Prayer: Father, I thank for this new day and a new beginning in my life may everything I do and say bring glory and honour to your name. As I read your most holy word, please speak to me, encourage me, and bless me, so I may bless others and please help me to live out your words through Jesus Christ my Lord. And as I come before your throne of grace and mercy, I confess and acknowledge I have sinned against you in thought and deed, today I ask to forgive me and, in your grace, purify my heart, cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. And in your great love lead me and help me to walk in the paths of righteousness, so that I may bring glory to you the one triune God. 

Scripture Reading for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 89:1

"I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.”

Worship Song Sung or Said: My Song Is Love Unknown (Samuel Crossman)

https://youtu.be/bWRcAa-nFIA

My song is love unknown,
  My Saviour's love to me;
Love to the loveless shown,
  That they might lovely be.
    O who am I,
    That for my sake
    My Lord should take
    Frail flesh, and die?

He came from His blest throne
  Salvation to bestow;
But men made strange, and none
  The longed-for Christ would know:
    But oh, my Friend,
    My Friend indeed,
    Who at my need
    His life did spend.

Sometimes they strew His way,
  And His sweet praises sing;
Resounding all the day
  Hosannas to their King:
    Then “Crucify!”
    Is all their breath,
    And for His death
    They thirst and cry.

They rise and needs will have
  My dear Lord made away;
A murderer they save,
  The Prince of life they slay.
    Yet cheerful He
    To suffering goes,
    That He His foes
    From thence might free.

In life, no house, no home
  My Lord on earth might have;
In death, no friendly tomb,
  But what a stranger gave.
    What may I say?
    Heav’n was His home;
    But mine the tomb
    Wherein He lay.

Here might I stay and sing,
  No story so divine;
Never was love, dear King,
  Never was grief like Thine.
    This is my Friend,
    In whose sweet praise
    I all my days
    Could gladly spend.

God’s Word for Today: Psalm 27:7-14

"7 Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.” 8 My heart says of you, Seek his face! Your face, LORD, I will seek.” 9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper.” Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior.” 10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.” 11 Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.” 12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.” 13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” 

Devotional/Study: (Part 2)

As we continue Psalm 27, we move on to v7, the theme of the Psalm changes as David begins his prayer to God. Something has upset his peace and robbed him of his tranquillity. For some reason he feels as if God is distant; the connection is broken. I am sure we have all been at that place where at times God is close and then other times he seems far away.

Although David trusts in God he begins to feel the stressed. You can sense that he wants God to hear His prayer. He cries to the Lord saying, Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me v7. As David prayers he seems to have heard God say in v8, Seek my face In response David seeks God, yet there was a sense in which David felt that God was hiding from him he prayed in v9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; However, as David is praying, he also remembers God’s great love for him and therefore he says to God in v9 "you have been my helper.” 

When David said these words, he used God’s past help as a reason to ask and expect future help. Brothers and sisters when we look back at the past has not God been our help. Because of Gods amazing love and help we can sing that great hymn, 

“Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me”,

David didn’t become angry with God or turn against Him; in his disappointment he sought God all the more diligently and desperately and prays v9b "Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Saviour.” 

Maybe at this point David feels as if God has not spoken to Him therefore seems to feel rejected. Many of us have experienced rejection in our lives from our parents, friends and by our own children and maybe some of us feel God has rejected us. 

We must seek the Lord for true acceptance. If we do not believe the acceptance of the Lord, we will continue to have a great void and continual desire to be accepted. 

David seems to be uplifted again and declares if his father and mother ever forsook him he knows God would never do that. He says in v10 "Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.”  In his prayer David says in v11 "Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path.” 

In the midst of all that is going on, David also prays for protection from his enemy’s v12. David seems to be upbeat again and confident and says in Psalm 27:14 "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”

Brothers and sisters this Psalm encourages us to trust in God in the midst of doubts and fears and troubles. Let us therefore draw closer to God in every way and believe and trust him in whatever circumstances.

Personal Prayers: