Today's Passage: Psalm 26-28

I remember when I was in high school I was having a conversation with the youth intern at our church. We were discussing what it meant to live a life for God and how it is so easy to struggle with doing that in our world when there is so much going on around us and so many outside forces pulling at us and attacking us from every angle. One of the points made in the conversation is that the struggle has always been there, even for the people back in Old Testament times. The outside influences and culture has change quite a bit since then, however we are in just as hard of times as they were. David is a key example of that. Look at his life and all that he had to deal with...and he dealt with even more than many of us will ever think about having to handle in one lifetime (adultery, murder, children dying).

But take a look at chapter 26...wow. I wish that I could say that about myself. I desire to be able to do so. The youth intern told me that this is one of the many passages of Scripture that he uses in his life to measure his life. That has always stuck with me. But when you keep reading through chapter 27-28, you notice that David had so much adversity and yet he remained focused on the Lord. We can use these chapters as encouragement and as templates for prayers. David desired to see the Lord lifted high and he loved to talk to God in such a personal way.

At the end of chapter 27, David says that we should be strong and wait for the Lord. David knew that God would not abandon him and that he could count on the Lord to vindicate him. How much more so should we do the same today? At the end of chapter 28, David says that the Lord is his strength and the strength of his people. WE are his people. We should be getting our strength from the Lord also. Reading through these chapters together has been such a good reminder to me to focus on the Lord, even when things feel like they are getting tough and then to rely on the Lord for strength and joy.