Best Verses: Psalm 61:1-4 “1 Hear my cry, O God; give heed to my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.3 For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. 4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.”

HEAR ME, O GOD

I just love the hymn “A Mighty Fortress.”  I couldn’t help but think of it when I read these verses today.  God is our refuge and tower of strength.  He is our bulwark.  He defends us.  How? Through just His spoken word.  He speaks, and Satan flees.  How awesome is that?!

So, when I cry out to God, He listens and responds. He doesn’t do it just because we ask, though.  He does it because He loves us and wants to see us thrive.  He wants to lift us up.  He wants to conquer our enemies. He wants us to see Him work in our lives.

TEACHING MOMENT

Teach your little Johnny to cry out to God first. They should not wait until it gets unbearable.  Teach them to cry out at the first hint of the enemy.  Don’t let the enemy approach.  Keep them at a distance.  We cannot defeat them – on our own.  And we don’t have to.

If our children can learn this life lesson early, they will have such a deeper walk with Christ as they get older. Seeing the Lord work builds our trust in Him.  He restores our faith.  He increases our endurance in trials.  But we have to call out.

Who are you crying out to today?  Is it the Lord God?  Or are you crying out to someone else?  It doesn’t matter how skilled they are or how many degrees they have behind their name.  No one can defend you or counsel you like Jesus.

O Jesus, You are the only One I can cry out to.  Help me today to stand firm and strong against the enemy.  Help me trust You to defend me against the accuser.

Best Verse: 1 John 1:6 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;”

Have you ever tried to walk in darkness?  I mean real, deep, dark darkness!  I recently was walking in the woods early in the morning before daylight.  It was a cloudy night, so there were NO stars out.  There was no moonlight.  It was DARK! Without the aid of my flashlight I could not have found my way down the trail.  I would have been lost or worse – injured.  But with the aid of a little flashlight the darkness was pierced.  

So many people try to navigate the darkness on their own.  They think they can get out of the light and be okay.  Listen brother, you can’t.  Sister, don’t try it.  Stay in the light.  John tells us that if we claim to be with Jesus but walk in the darkness, we are liars! Pretty harsh words but true.

TEACHING MOMENT

Take a walk with your children in the woods or in the neighborhood one night.  Find a spot without any street lights and then turn off your flashlight.  Ask your child to lead you out of the darkness. They will probably cling to your leg and beg you to turn the light back on.

We can learn something by doing this. Shouldn’t we be the same way? Should we not, the moment we step into darkness, turn on the light of Jesus so we will expose what is around us? Satan loves to lure us into the darkness.  He wants us to feel afraid. He wants us to feel threatened.  But once we shine the light of Jesus, he flees.  He has to.  He can’t stand the light of Jesus.

Are you in darkness or light?  Are you a liar or truth teller?  Are you in fellowship or animosity?  Those are the only choices.  To do otherwise is false.  Live for Him. Live in the light.  You are safe there.

Lord of light, shine on me.  Expose the darkness around me.  Let me be the one who stays on the lighted path.

Best Verse: Psalm 60:6a “God has spoken in His holiness:”

HOLY

How do you think God talks?  Does He have a deep voice or a high pitch voice? Does He sound like James Earl Jones or Mickey Mouse?  I’m not trying to be sacrilegious.  Hear me out. It doesn’t matter how He sounds. I believe He sounds differently to different people. But He will ALWAYS sound holy.  

The verse today says He speaks in His holiness.  That can also be translated as “in is sanctuary.”  Wherever God speaks and however God speaks, He is always holy.  His words ring of holiness.  His carefully chosen words are pure are fitting for His sanctuary.

TEACHING MOMENT

My mind jumps to the scene in “A Christmas Story,” the timeless Christmas movie when Ralphie is overheard by his mother saying some very bad words during a fight.  When she gets him home, she makes him sit in the bathroom with a bar of soap in his mouth.  Those bad words had to be “cleaned out.”  

I am NOT advocating doing that to your child.  But I am suggesting that you correct and teach your child about sounding holy. How is that possible?  It is not teaching them to use “thou” and “thine” in their speech and prayers.  It’s about saying those things that only God would say.  To speak as He would speak – with love and purity.

How is your speech?  Do you forget yourself sometimes and let words slip out that should not be heard?  Ask the Lord today to clean up your speech.  Memorize Scripture instead of lyrics to songs with bad language. Concentrate on choosing your words carefully before you speak.  

O Lord, You made my tongue to praise You.  Help me form my words in the same manner You do – in holiness, as if I am standing in Your sanctuary. 

Best Verse: Psalm 58:11 “And men will say, ‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth!’”

OUR GOD

Psalm 58 spends ten verses talking about how God will judge the unrighteous, how He will defend His people.  And then in verse 11, the last verse of the chapter, we have today’s verse.  The end result of God’s actions is this.  Men will know there is a God.

I was meditating on that verse and realized it is the same today.  Men only recognize God because of His actions in this world in the lives of His saints. When God works in our lives, people can see it.  We must be careful to give Him all the praise.  We must point others to Him when they want to give us recognition or glory.

TEACHING MOMENT

When you see the Lord working in the lives of your children, make sure you tell them.  As they grow in their faith, they will have ample opportunities to thank the Lord.  They will have chance after chance to tell others, “This is all because of Jesus.”  

It is so important that they do that. We never want them to think they have accomplished anything without the Lord.  It is He who gives them the wisdom and strength to succeed.  He is the One who directs them.  He is the One who walks with them through life.  When we are quick to give Him credit, He is blessed.

Is that you?  Do you point others to Him when they want to congratulate you? I pray that you will be a spokesman for Christ today.  I pray you will tell others that it is Christ in you.  It is nothing about you.  Boast in Him.

Lord, I am nothing without You.  I can only succeed because of You.  I praise You for working in and through my life.

Best Verse: Psalm 57:2 “I will cry to God Most High, to God who accomplishes all things for me.”

GOD MOST HIGH

Did I just make that word up? Accomplisher?  What else would you call someone who accomplishes something? That’s what God does.  He accomplishes all things for us.  But what exactly does that mean?  The Hebrew word for “accomplishes” is gamar.  Interestingly enough, this word ONLY occurs in the book of Psalms. It means to complete or bring to an end.

So, God is our completer.  He finishes stuff.  He brings it to its finality.  Do you understand that?  We don’t have to do it.  He does. He does what we cannot do.  He is with us to the end to ensure things are finished.

TEACHING MOMENT

What a great verse for our children! Children are notorious for starting stuff and not finishing.  The next time you see a half- finished project your little Susie started, use that opportunity to talk about this verse.  In fact, look at all five times this word is used (Psalms 7:9; 12:1; 57:2; 77:8; 138:8). 

Let them see how God finishes things. If we are to be like God in our lifestyle, then we should be accomplishers too.  We should complete things.  We should finish things.  Projects are one thing, but we should make sure we complete things as they relate to others.  We want to represent Christ well.

If you have the habit of starting and not finishing something, it can give you a bad reputation among your friends and coworkers.  No one wants to have to come behind you and finish what you started.  Be like God.  Complete things.  Finish things.  And as you accomplish that next task, give God all the credit.  Thank Him for the wisdom to be like Him.

O Great Finisher, give me the tenacity to finish what I start. Help me represent You well.  I want to be known as someone who is dependable and loyal, even to the very end.

Best Verse: Psalm 54:4 “Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul.”

ALWAYS

Have you ever had a big chore to do and just needed a little help?  Boy, I have. My wife and I moved a few years ago and did it ourselves.  Most of the stuff we could move ourselves, but there were a few items that we just could not handle.  One piece, in particular, had to go upstairs.  I enlisted my son and some of his buddies to help.  Thank the Lord for strong backs.

God knows we can’t do it alone. He never expected us to.  He is our helper.  And He is also our sustainer.  He not only helps, but He stays with us.  He keeps our soul safe.  He protects and guards us.  That’s what I call a trusted friend.

TEACHING MOMENT

Does your little Susie have a close friend, a BFF?  My daughter has about a dozen BFF’s.  A “Best Friend Forever” will stick with you.  I am sure your child has one or two of those.  If not, they will.  They are the kind of friend who will stick with them through thick and thin.  

But as good as that friend is, they can’t always be there.  That’s the lesson for today.  Teach your child that God will ALWAYS be there.  He is there to help them navigate those difficult times.  He is the One who strengthens them when they get weary. But, just like their BFF, they have to spend time with Him to get to know Him.  Show them how to do that through a consistent quiet time and prayer.

Are you doing that?  You can’t teach what you aren’t living.  You can fake it for a while, but your lack of quality time with your Lord will reveal itself in your daily walk.  Your children will see that.  Instead, come to the Helper.  Come to the Sustainer.  He is waiting.

Helper and Sustainer, I need You in my life.  I need to spend time with You, so I can know You better.  I thank You that You are always with me.

Best Verse: Psalm 52:8 “But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.”

NOT JUST GOOD ON SALADS

I’m a green olive lover.  I love them on pizza, in salads, in casseroles or just plain by themselves.  So, when I read this verse today it struck me.  Why would David use an olive tree as an example?

Well, when an olive tree is planted in the right soil and properly maintained, it will produce olives. Simple! He was not saying there were olive trees in the temple.  But when we are planted in the right place and nurtured, we too will flourish and produce fruit.  It all comes back to God’s lovingkindness, His kesed.  His mercy sustains us.

TEACHING MOMENT

Your little Susie or Elrod are like little olive trees.  You must plant them in the right soil.  You must give them the proper nutrients.  When you do that, you can expect them to grow.  Without providing a spiritually rich environment for them we can expect the opposite.  Spiritual growth requires spiritual food.

How do you feed a five-year-old spiritually?  By reading them God’s Word.  By praying with them.  By living out the Christ Life in front of them so they see what it looks like.  By teaching them to confess their sins and seek forgiveness.  These things nurture their little souls and leads them to their heavenly Father.

But how about your spiritual olive tree?  Are you flourishing?  Are you producing fruit?  Won’t you allow the Lord to tend to you?  Let Him trim and prune where necessary.  And then, when you produce that fruit, give it all to Him.  He is worthy!

Lord, there are times when my “branches” are withering due to lack of nourishment. But that is normally because I have chosen other things in my life.  Teach me to dwell in Your presence where I can receive growth.

Best Verses: Psalm 50:4-5 “4 He summons the heavens above, and the earth, to judge His people: 5 ‘Gather My godly ones to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.’”

HEAVENS AND EARTH

I will have to admit that I do not remember these verses.  That happens a lot, though.  I have read through the Bible many times, but each year I find verses that I just don’t remember.  These two today are in that group.

God is directing the heavens and the earth to gather His people.  Look at how we are identified.  God calls us “godly ones.”  We are the ones “who have made a covenant” with Him.  We are protected by that covenant that was made through the blood of Jesus. I love that God has called us “godly ones.”

TEACHING MOMENT

I know your children are precious to you.  Whether they are three or thirty-three, our children are special.  But are they godly?  We know we are all born sinners. We are born in flesh.  Only God’s redeeming power can make us godly.  There is not one thing in us that can do that.

So, one of your jobs is to make your children godly.  “Right Carl! I can’t do that.”  That’s correct.  Your job is to direct them and lead them to the One who can.  You provide the environment where they can discover the truth.  You teach them God’s Word which will draw them to Him.  You pray for them and with them to show them how to talk to God.  He will do the rest.

Do you consider yourself to be a godly person?  God does, if you are one of His.  Start living like it, if you are not.  Remember who you are in covenant with.  Let His attributes be lived out in your life each day.

Righteous Judge, You may send the heavens and the earth to gather me one day.  I am excited about that.  I am ready to see You.  Help me share the good news with others while I am here.

Best Verse: Psalm 49:15 “But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me. Selah.”

FREE

So, if we are free from the power of Sheol, what is it?  Sheol is a place of darkness where you are separated from God’s presence.  Can you imagine?  No contact with God?  No light. No joy.  No peace.  No security.

Praise be to God that He delivers us from that.  Through the power of the blood of Jesus, He has redeemed us, and He will receive us. Receive us where?  In heaven!  Our next place of dwelling, as a believer, is heaven.  There we will dwell in eternal life with joy, peace and security.

TEACHING MOMENT

Children want to be secure.  They may not even be aware of that, but they do. They want to know where you are. They want to know Mom and Dad are nearby.  They can do anything if they know you are close.  

Oh listen, that’s how it is with us and God.  We know God is near.  We know He is close by.  Teach your children that.  When you can’t be there, He is always there.  When they can’t see you, He sees them.  When we can’t hear them, God can.  That’s real security.  That’s real joy.

Are you in a “sheol” right now? I don’t mean a real sheol.  As a believer you can’t be there.  But you may be in a dark place and feel God is absent.  He’s not!  Talk to Him.  Let His light fill your situation and trust Him to see you through.

Father of light, I praise You for delivering me from Sheol.  I thank You that I can rest assured of Your presence in my life and for eternity.