For the past several months I've been reading the Psalm-of-the-day and four other Psalms using the +30 method. For example, today I read Psalms 20, 50, 80, 110, and 140. Here are a few encouraging verses from each (all NIV):
Psalm 20:6-8 - God answers when we call, He gives us victory
Now this I know:
The Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
with the victorious power of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
Psalm 50:1-6 - God is mighty and just, He protects us
The Mighty One, God, the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth. Our God comes
and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.
He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that he may judge his people:
“Gather to me this consecrated people,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for he is a God of justice.
Psalm 80:1-3 - God is a faithful shepherd, He restores us
Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
come and save us.Restore us, O God;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.
Psalm 110:2-3 - God is sovereign, He anoints His faithful
The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
Your troops will be willing
on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor,
your young men will come to you
like dew from the morning’s womb.
Psalm 140:6-8; 12-13 - God is merciful, He delivers us from evil
I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy.
Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer,
you shield my head in the day of battle.
Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord;
do not let their plans succeed.
I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor
and upholds the cause of the needy.
Surely the righteous will praise your name,
and the upright will live in your presence.
In the midst of chaos and all the negative words we are bombarded with every day, we can do as David did and "strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God" (1 Samuel 30:6). In this chapter, David and his men's wives and families had been captured. His own men talked of stoning him - they blamed David even though David was also mourning the capture of his own wives.
Instead of reacting in fear to the rumors and what might happen, or responding in kind, David chose to turn to God for strength, encouragement, and direction. He focused on God; not on his circumstances. God led him and his men to a victorious battle; they got back everything that had been taken, and then some.
No matter what you face today, open your Bible. You can always find encouragement in the Psalms!
What are your favorite go-to Bible verses when you need encouragement?
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