Tag: cry out to the Lord

Legacy

*Old Testament: 1 Chronicles 7-9
*Poetry: Psalm 142
New Testament: Colossians 2

Think about all the people in your life, and the people that have come before you. There are always people that come to mind when you think about who you looked up to.

For me those people have been my parents, my grandparents, and uncles. I’ll always be grateful for the amazing people that God has provided.

Now how does this tie into Psalm 142 and 1 Chronicles 7,8,9? After reading 1 Chronicles 7,8, and 9, I realized that the list of names, from generation to generation, is a LEGACY. All the people then till now play a part in a much greater picture, and God knows every individual plan in HIS legacy.

Think back to the people in your life. How did they react when they faced trials, or when the plan they had didn’t match God’s plan? How did it impact the people around them? Our actions in our times of hard ship impact the people around us, whether we see it or not. If you have kids, you know they watch everything you do. It’s the same with other people in our lives. It’s so important that your actions are viewed by everyone, and we need to be aware of how we act.

Think about what you do in your trials as we look at Psalm 142.

Psalm 142:1-3

“I cry aloud to the Lord, I plead aloud for his mercy. I pour out my complaints before him.”

“I cry aloud to the Lord.” This chapter comes from a place when David was in an extremely difficult trial. He was running from King Saul and hiding in the cave of Adullam from persecution.

Even in this dark season, David cries ALOUD to the Lord for his guidance, just as we should in our times of hardship.

Psalm 142:3 goes on to say, “Although my spirit is weak within me. You know my way.”

David trusts God in this time. He trusts that God knows his plan for David and will bring him through this.

What do you do when you face trials?

We have all been in places where all we seem to do is be mad at God in our situation. But what if we turn to God instead, and say, “God I am frustrated, HELP me. I know your plan is good.” How does that impact us, and God’s Legacy.

The way we react to our trials makes an impression. If we lash out in anger when things don’t go our way, we leave an impression. We may hurt feelings and say things we can never take back. Those moments of impact can change how that person we hurt acts, and then it continues. It’s like the saying goes, what comes around goes around. So, what if we spread around love, and trust in God, and watch that spread around. Let’s grow a Legacy of people who love and worship God, and love each other. Love and worship in our times of struggle can make all of the difference.

-Hannah Eldred

Reflection Questions

1) What trials may you be facing in life big or small?

2) How do you react in your trials?

3) How can you show love and worship in your trials? How does this impact God’s legacy?

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Trusting in God

Psalm 5, 38, 41-42

psalm 5 11 NIV sgl

 

I have always connected with David’s ability to cry out to the LORD. He isn’t afraid to depend upon him. He is willing to ask God directly to be delivered from his enemies. Even though David clearly expresses his weaknesses, he holds so much confidence in God that he is still willing to come before him and pray. 

 

When we think about the faith that David had, I think it’s easy for us to say, “Well, of course, we should ask God to conquer our battles.” And that is true, we serve a God who wants us to come to him. Through the sacrifice of his Son, we have the ability to come to God and ask him to intercede for us.

 

But when reality sets in, we have a tendency to become overwhelmed and ultimately rely on ourselves. We forget to turn to the one who created us for help. I think this is because it’s easier for us to fathom solutions to our problems that we can come up with on our own. 

 

It’s difficult to trust in someone to fight for us that we can’t even fathom. 

 

And yet, David still decides to trust God. So much so that he is praying that others follow suit. 

 

I find all of this relevant with the struggles that are currently overtaking the world. With hunger, disease, unemployment, and fear continuing to rise, it is natural to become overwhelmed. We want to fight for some sort of solution. We have to find some way to cope. But in all of this fighting, we likely end up crippled by fear. 

 

If our first action is to trust in God, our result is very different. We serve a God who will place a hedge of protection over us. He will provide healing for us. Because he loves us that much. A God who can move mountains is the same God who will make you stronger if you choose to come to him. 

 

David saw the glory and mercy that could come from following a path that would lead him to the LORD- a path of righteousness. Imagine what the world would look like if all of us stopped allowing the noise of society to consume us and rested in God. 

 

So, in the fear, in the hunger, in the waiting, let’s choose to take all of that emotion and let it drive us closer to our creator. Let us become a people who are willing to unapologetically depend upon God to fight our battles. 

 

Ironically, if we take refuge in our Almighty, we will see Victory. 

 

-Leslie Jones

 

Today’s reading can be read or listened at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+5%2C+38%2C+41-42&version=NIV

Tomorrow’s reading will be 2 Samuel 22-23 & Psalm 57 as we continue the 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan