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Thursday... Maybe you need to pray this today.


Thursday... Maybe you need to pray this today.

I love reading the Psalms. I have read a Psalm a day for over 40 years. I have found it to be a great way to start my day. They seem to be what I need each day. 

As I was reading in Psalm 79 today I found something that I thought could be what some of you may need to pray today. There is power in praying Scripture back to God. There really is and maybe this is what you in your desperation and despair need to pray today.

Verse 8 (NLT) says, "Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors!" The Message says, "Don't blame us for the sins of our parents." Some need to pray that. Maybe they feel like they are being held back because of what their parents did or what they believed. Maybe you need to pray that. Remember, there is power in praying Scripture. Pray that the chains of your past and the influence of those around you will be broken.

He goes on. (NLT), "Let your compassion quickly meet our needs, for we are on the brink of despair." Is that you? The NIV says, "may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need."

Oh, I know that the cares of life can really bring us down, Life can be so rough and we can get so desperate and in such despair and it is so important to realize that God is close and just like the Psalmist, we too can reach out to God in our despair. He cares. He loves you. He sees where you are and what you need. He is just waiting for you to reach out to him.

He goes on in verses 9-10a (NLT), "Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name sake." Many times we are in the situation we are in because of our sins and we need to ask him to forgive our sins. That may be what you need to do. Maybe you need to see if the situation you are in isn't because of your sins and you can know beyond all doubt God is in the business of taking care of that. Just ask him to forgive you and he will.

The Psalmist then says, "Why should the nations say, 'Where is their God?" 

Our despair and our desperation can sometimes make people say, "Where is their God?" He wants us to be an example of what it means to have him in our lives. So that is also a great thing to pray. "God, through what I am going through may you be glorified." Verse 9 in the NIV says, "Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name." In other words, may we make God look good. 

Maybe you need to pray this today. Remember, there is power in praying Scripture. 

So here it is again. Verses 8-9 (NLT) says, "Do not hold us (me) guilty for the sins of our (my) ancestors! Let your compassion quickly meet our (my) needs, for we are (I am) on the brink of despair. Help us (me), O God of our (my) salvation! Save us (me) and forgive our (my) sins for the honor of your name."

Yes, there is power in praying Scripture back to God. Yes, yes! #todaysbginning

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