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June 5 - Morning
"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise —
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
All day long they twist my words;
all their schemes are for my ruin.
They conspire, they lurk,
they watch my steps,
hoping to take my life.
Because of their wickedness do not let them escape;
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.
Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll —
are they not in your record?
Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help.
By this I will know that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise —
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?"
- Psalms 56:3-11 |
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| David's Trust in God
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Psalm 56 opens with David being “hotly pursued” or “hounded” by Philistines who have taken David captive in Gath. A large group of Philistine warriors have pursued David with their swords while they accuse and slander him.
David expresses his need for underserved divine assistance as he begins his request: “Grant me grace, O God” in 56:1. After voicing his need in 56:1-2, David proclaims his confidence in God in
56:3-4 before returning to expressing his need in 56:5-6. In verses 56:7-11 David is hopeful of his deliverance.
David admits to being afraid of his pursuers, but knows he can have confidence in divine help. David knows God’s will and understands what God does because God’s word has been made available to David. Because of this David “will praise the word,” put his trust in God and stop fearing what mere “flesh can do.” |
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"Let our praise be in God and not from ourselves, for God hates those that commend themselves. Let testimony to our good deeds be borne by others, as it was in the case of our righteous forefathers. Boldness, arrogance, and audacity belong to those that are accursed of God, but moderation, humility, and meekness to those that are blessed by Him."
- Clement of Rome, 96 AD |
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From David Kinnaman's book
"You Lost Me"
Myth 4: This generation of young Christians is increasingly "biblically illiterate."
Reality: The study examined beliefs across the firm's 28-year history, looking for generational gaps in spiritual beliefs and knowledge. When comparing the faith of young practicing faith Christians (ages 18 to 29) to those of older practicing Christians (ages 30-plus), surprisingly few differences emerged between what the two groups believe. This means that within the Christian community, the theological differences between generations are not as pronounced as might be expected. Young Christians lack biblical knowledge on some matters, but not significantly more so than older Christians.
Instead, the research showed substantial differences among those outside of Christianity. That is, older non-Christians were more familiar than younger non-Christians with Bible stories and Christian theology, even if they did not personally embrace those beliefs.
The Barna president described this as "unexpected, because one often hears how theologically illiterate young Christians are these days. Instead, when it comes to questions of biblical literacy, the broader culture seems to be losing its collective understanding of Christian teachings. In other words, Christianity is no longer 'autopilot' for the nation's youngest citizens.
(source here) |
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Yhl pi (Hb) – to wait (Eng) – In the Hebrew yhl pi means “to wait” 24x and yhl hi means “to be in a state of waiting” 15x. Sometimes yhl pi is used to refer to waiting on events or circumstances.
Noah waits for the flood water to dry up in Genesis 8:10, 12. (Also, 1 Samuel 10:8 and Job 32:11).
Sixty-six percent of the time yhl is used in reference to God:
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Jewish manuscripts from 400’s BC sent from the Jewish community on Elephantine Island (in the Nile River) includes the “Passover Letter.” (Details here.)
Other existent letters from Elephantine such as the "Elephantine Temple Reconstruction Petition" refer
to “Delaiah and Shelemiah, the sons of Sanballat, governor of Samaria (which
is in agreement with Nehemiah 2:10).
Included in these Elephantine Papyri is also a reference to the Persian king Darius’ authorization to rebuild Jerusalem and the Israelites participation in Jerusalem’s reconstruction (in agreement with Ezra and Nehemiah). |
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I will recognize both my fears in life and my trust in God. I will not deny my concerns,
but neither will I forget my God. I will seek him for divine help and guidance. |
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"Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well."
- Proverbs 5:15 |
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Confess sin |
Testimony to the
Power of God |
Race Relations |
Greece |
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| Reps & Sets is a daily Bible devotional for Christians from Generation Word Bible Teaching used each morning and evening. |
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