Today's Beginning

Thursday... There are so many ways to pray. Meditation is one. We read in the Bible something and we meditate on it. We let it sink into our heart and mind. We see what it says from many sides. We meditate. That is always a great way to connect with God. Then there is desperation. King David writes in Psalm 141:1 (NLT), "O Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help!" There are exclamation points at the end of each statement. He emphatically cries out to God. He is desperate. Somewhere in his life, David has had some times of meditation. He has stopped to think about his relationship with God. He has spent time thinking about God. What he is like. What he can do. Does he really care? Can he handle any problem that I bring to him? How will he handle it if I come to him in desperation? David had times when he was out tending his father's sheep that he stopped and thought about God.  And he also has had times when he was desperate. There was a ...

Wednesday... A prayer that gets to the point. David in writing Psalm 141 must have been in a tough place. We get into tough places, don't we? And we need to pray this prayer that David is praying. He starts out in verse 1 (AMP) saying, " Lord, I call upon You, hurry to me. Listen to my voice when I call to You." That is right to the point. He goes on in verses 8-10, "For my eyes are toward You, O God, the Lord. In You I take refuge, do not pour out my life nor leave me defenseless. Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me, and from the snares of those who do evil. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by and safely escape [from danger]." And that's the prayer that we need to pray each and everyday. The NIV says it this way, "while I pass by in safety." The NLT, "but let me escape." The MESSAGE, "while I walk off without a scratch." And the NIRV, "But let me go safely on my way." Now ...