“In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me!” (Psalm 71:1-2)

When all is said and done, where do you rest? Where is your place of beginning and ending? We find distractions to keep us busy, but we seldom think of where we begin and where we end. The Lord is the beginning and the ending. In Him is the source and result; we do well to realize this and make Him our beginning and end and then everything else will fall into place and be balanced.

Lord, I am so distracted by the constant noise and activities of this world. Often I just go through my days going from one thing to another. Help me, I pray, to learn to prioritize, not with a list of things, but with the reality that I have come into this world and will leave this world and the beginning and the end are equally important. Guide me, O Lord, in the way I should go always.

Lord Jesus, You came with a specific mission to call all who would come unto You to follow You as You lead us from our beginning into Your eternity. Not so much finding out what to do as to whom to rest in, guide me always to look to You as the author and finisher of my faith. Lead me now and always to go through life with Your purpose as the purpose of my heart for all things. Amen.

“May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!” But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!” (Psalm 70:4-5)

The salvation of the Lord is trusting that God is the Lord, and that this world shall not succeed in its rebellion against the Lord. Turn to the Lord, you who are in need, and He will satisfy. Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is the help and deliverer of all who turn to Him. He will provide the way through this life of difficulty and show You His ways that you may walk in them.

Lord, You know what is needed, and all of the pitfalls that get in the way. You know what I need and allow all things for Your purpose. Guide me, O Lord, to learn from You faithfulness and the way I need to go. Help me in every time of need to look to You, for You alone are able to deliver me from the snares of the wicked. Guide me in Your ways, O Lord, that I may delight in them.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being out front and fighting the good fight to enable all by grace to follow You where we need to go. Teach me how to delight in the goodness of the faith You have given that I may forever hold fast to the truth You have revealed. Lead me in the way of Your righteousness and teach me how to live in this way. Keep me close to You, O Lord, now and forever. Amen.

“Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me! Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life! Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt! Let them turn back because of their shame who say, “Aha, Aha!” (Psalm 70:1-3)

I once pondered who wanted to take my life. The world around me wants me to reject You, Lord, and go along to get along. The world tugs for me to live its way and not the way of Your Word. Lord, make haste to deliver me from the snares of this world that I may live only for You and the good works You have ordained for me to do. Let me not shame nor be shamed, but live in Your goodness.

You know the difficulty of this world filled with sin. You have watched as wickedness battles for the souls of those whom You call. You have purpose in everything, but You, O Lord, have sent Your salvation that, in spite of the world which seeks to kill, lifts up those who turn to You. Guide my heart by Your Spirit that I would forever hold fast to the truth of Your Word.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for walking in this world of confusion and leading the way through it, providing grace to all who turn to You. Lift us up, and bind our hearts and protect them from the wiles of a world gone mad. Set my course in front of me and then guide me to walk the way You have established that I may learn from You how to faithfully endure all adversity. Amen.

“The descendants of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His name will dwell in it.” (Psalm 69:36)

Look over history and you will see amidst the turmoil of the ages the blessings God has given that people would live better lives. We have been blessed in spite all the wickedness that seeks to have us do otherwise. Look to the promises of the Lord and see that He has been good to all for the sake of those who love His name. Live for the Lord and for the goodness He is and gives.

Lord, I get caught up in my own personal struggles and do not see Your hand clearly at work amidst the people. Guide my heart to see in You the goodness You give and live according to Your never failing promises of grace and mercy. Help me see in You the hope of the ages and live into the promises You give. Help me learn faithfulness from You.

Lord Jesus, You are the One who came to save. Lead me O Lord in the way of salvation which You have established. Let me be among those who will inherit Your Kingdom. Teach me love as You love. Bring my heart to dwell in the riches of Your grace and mercy. May I be found in You all the days of my life. May I do what I do to the praise and glory of the Father now and forever.  Amen.

“Let heaven and earth praise Him, The seas and everything that moves in them. For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it.” (Psalm 69:34-35)

Are you one who praises God in all circumstances? God is not a conditional Lord. He does not give just in some seasons and withhold in others. He who causes the sun to shine on the righteous and the unjust is worthy of all honor and praise. Learn to praise the Lord as one who resides in Zion. Praise the Lord in every season and taste and see that the Lord is good.

Lord, in my sinfulness I do judge unjustly and want things to be the way I want them to be. I withhold my praise and do not praise You in every season. Guide me, O Lord, to walk humbly with You and praise You with each sunrise and each sunset for You are the One who has given life and called me to walk with You. Guide me in the way I should go and then lead me by Your Spirit.

Lord Jesus, You who have given the very Spirit that guides me, take me away from the way this world thinks to learn from You how to think as Your new creation. Guide me in Your goodness to come to the place where I know that all things are working together according to the Father’s will. Help me now and always to look to You in, through and for all things, knowing You are good and gracious to those who love You. Amen.

“The humble have seen it and are glad; you who seek God, let your heart revive. For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise His who are prisoners.” (Psalm 69:32-33)

Over and over again, Scripture calls for us to be humble. Humility is not self-effacing, but standing fully in the truth. The truth is that God loves everyone without partiality. We all have sinned and therefor are not exempt from the frustrations others have because of our sins. Come to the Lord humbly and know that He who hears you will have mercy and grace upon you.

Lord, there are many things I need to learn. I have been guilty, perhaps not by intention, but in the breaking of the law. But I desire Your mercy and compassion to lift me out of the pit of despair that sin brings upon the world. Free me from the prison of sin to live humbly with You all the days of my life. Guide me in Your goodness to know Your grace and mercy as I walk with You.

Lord Jesus, You have come to set the captives free. You have come to lead us into humility to stand with You, the Truth, and walk where You lead. Guide me, O Lord, to see in You the hope of all ages and to know Your goodness. Help me learn to practice all that You teach me that I would live as You lived upon the earth and minister to others as You have ministered to me. Amen.

“I will praise the name of God with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving. And it will please the Lord better than an ox or a young bull with horns and hoofs.” (Psalm 69:30-31)

Praise the Lord in all circumstances and at all times. Do not look to yourself or your neighbor, but to the One who created all things. In Him alone is there hope and a future. In Him is the promise of the ages.  Turn to the Lord and discover why He has made you to be whom you are and who you will be. The sacrifice of your life is better than all else you can do. Turn to the Lord.

Lord, I want to be in control of my life, but I am not. I want to be the one who directs my days, but I cannot. This age is filled with conflicts and I cannot navigate through them. You alone know what the ages will bring. You alone know how to walk through this life, for you know where it is going and how it will end. Guide me to trust in Your leading that I would walk with You.

Lord Jesus, You have come to lead the way. Sins are forgiven and the eternal healing is promised to all who walk humbly with You. Lead me this day and every day to walk where You lead knowing that only in You can I find the way to the eternal home You have promised. May I learn faithfulness from You and walk with You throughout this day, knowing that You alone are faithful. Amen.

“May they be blotted out of the book of life and may they not be recorded with the righteous. But I am afflicted and in pain; may Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high.” (Psalm 69:28-29)

We do not understand why the Lord allows the wicked to remain and seem so powerful as they do what they do. It causes pain to those who look to the Lord. But do not those who look to the Lord do the same things? Are there any who are righteous? Only for he who turns to the Lord will He grant true life and liberty, but not until His salvation comes to fruition.

Lord I lament and look for justice, but forget that I too am a part of that equation. Guide me when I am angry, frustrated, upset or any other reaction to circumstance where I am simply demonstrating that I am powerless, and then heap my frustration upon You. Guide me, O Lord, to walk humbly with You in all circumstances knowing that You are Lord and King of all.

Lord Jesus, there are many things I do not understand, yet You are here in front of me, Truth itself. Lead me humbly to walk with You as You guide me through all the wickedness of this world, knowing that only in You is there hope and a future. Guide me according to the Father’s will that I would walk securely in Your grace and mercy as You lead to where You are taking me. Amen.

“For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten, and they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded. Add iniquity to their iniquity, and may they not come into Your righteousness.” (Psalm 69:26-27)

How much are we able to handle before we break? We experience what we experience and some seem to have more than they could handle. The lament goes out to keep us from the breaking point. Yet, is not God, God? Will He not do whatever it takes for those whom He loves? Yes, turn to the Lord no matter the circumstances and see that He is good. Know the Lord’s righteousness.

Lord, I see the human struggle, first in myself and then in others. Help me learn from such insights that You give in order that I not be anxious no matter what the day brings. Lead me in Your way of righteousness to do those things that are fitting for Your kingdom. Do not add to the burden upon me, but help me carry my portion according to Your grace. Hinder not any from seeing who ought to see.

Lord Jesus, Light that shines in the darkness, guide me through the dark alleys of this world. Lead me to learn from You how to graciously handle whatever may come knowing that in You alone is my hope and future. Teach me Your ways, O Lord, and then empower me to walk in them that I may be guided by Your Spirit. You alone are good, LORD, in a world filled with evil. Amen.

“Pour out Your indignation on them, and may Your burning anger overtake them. May their camp be desolate; may none dwell in their tents.” (Psalm 69:24-25)

In this world we often think in eye-for-an-eye terms. People hurt us and we want them hurt. Yet the ways of the Lord are good and right and fitting always, and this world is filled with sin. Those who go their own way walk on the wide road to oblivion. The appearance of prosperity will turn to a vapor with the passing of time. Only in the Lord is there a hope and a future.

Lord, I see things in the moment and forget not only Your promises but all of the good You have done for me. Help me, Lord, to see as You see and to know that all things are in Your hands and that You will provide over time all that needs to be done. In love, not anger, do You deal with us; for I too have been, at times, one who walked the path of desolation. Cause me to dwell in Your tents.

Lord Jesus, You call us to Yourself that we would walk with You, learn from You and become like You. You went to the cross, and yet it was not anger, but your love that shone forth. Lead me, O Lord, in the way I should go and then help me go that way, Guide me according to Your goodness to be lifted up into the way of thinking that would let me see Your hand at all times and in all things. Amen.