SEPTEMBER 3, 2024
READ: Psalm 39 (Focus vs. 4-13)
MEMORY VERSE
“Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping.” Psalm 39:12
BACKGROUND
The first grader called the number for emergency dispatch. The 9-1-1 operator answered. “I need help,” said the boy. “I have to do take-aways.”
The operator proceeded to assist, until he heard a woman enter the room and say, “Johnny, what are you doing?” Johnny explained that he couldn’t do his math homework, so he did exactly what his mother had taught him to do when he needed help.
He called 9-1-1. To Johnny, his current need qualified as an emergency. To the compassionate listener, helping the young boy with his homework was top priority in that moment.
When the psalmist David needed help, he said, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is” (Psalm 39:4 nlt).
He said, “My hope is in” God (v. 7). So, he pleaded for Him to hear and answer his “cry for help” (v. 12). Then, strangely, he asked God to “look away from” him (v. 13). Though David’s needs remain unspoken, throughout Scripture he declared that God would always be with him, hearing and answering his prayers.
Our confidence in God’s constancy allows us to process our fickle feelings, while affirming there’s no request too big or too small for the unchanging One. He hears us, cares for us, and answers every prayer we utter.
By: Xochitl Dixon
INSIGHT
That our life on earth is “fleeting” and “a mere handbreadth” (Psalm 39:4-5) is the consistent reminder of Scripture (see Job 14:1-2; Psalm 144:3-4; James 4:14).
In Psalm 90, “Moses, the man of God,” asks God to “teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (v. 12 nlt).
David offers the same wisdom: “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is” (39:4). The wise know their own end and understand how brief and uncertain life is (vv. 5-6). But their trust and hope is in God (v. 7).
By: K. T. Sim
APPLICATION
How has God demonstrated His love for you by answering prayers you thought would be too small to bring to Him? Which of your needs seems too big or too small?
PR’s RE-EMPHASIS (From Post)
“Our confidence in God’s constancy allows us to process our fickle feelings, while affirming there’s no request too big or too small for the unchanging One.”
PR’s (PASTOR RICHARD) TAKE
“I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers.” Isaiah 65:24 (nlt)
PRAYER
“Loving God, thank You for hearing and answering every prayer I place in Your hands.”
TODAY’S HYMN/WORSHIP/PRAISE/GOSPEL SONG
“I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR”
I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Ev’ry hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.
I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r
When Thou art nigh.
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Ev’ry hour I need Thee…
I need Thee ev’ry hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Ev’ry hour I need Thee…
I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfill.
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Ev’ry hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.
READING THROUGH THE BIBLE THIS YEAR (DAILY)
ACTS 14
