S – You yourself have recorded my wanderings. Put my tears in your bottle. 

Are they not in your book? ⁹ Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call. 

This I know: God is for me.

Ps 56:8–9 CSB

O – Commentary: 

He was confident because God knew him intimately, even recording his tears. The image of his tears being collected in a wineskin (niv marg.) means that God did not forget his suffering. Because of that fact, he could say in full confidence, God is for me.

  “Psalms,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – God knows our tears – that is amazing!  When we experience pain, it helps us to know we are not alone and someone shares in that pain.  God is that intimate.  Because we know Him without boundary or limitation, we can confidently say “He is for me.”  He will help me through this.

R – Heavenly Father, Your love has no end.  You meet us right where we are and envelop us in Your love.  Even when You don’t take us out of our pain, Your presence is real.  We invite Your Holy Spirit to minister to us and empower us to take the steps we need to take today.  

S – Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Psalms  55:22 CSB

O – Burden—(1.) A load of any kind (Ex. 23:5). (2.) A severe task (Ex. 2:11). (3.) A difficult duty, requiring effort (Ex. 18:22). (4.) A prophecy of a calamitous or disastrous nature (Isa. 13:1; 17:1; Hab. 1:1, etc.).

Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature 

In this scripture, a burden is not defined with a negative or a positive connotation.

A – Each of us has “burdens” to carry daily.  Taking them to the Lord, He strengthens us and gives us the courage to face them.  Many times, we let our pride or self-centeredness hold onto our burdens. There is freedom in knowing God is with us in our daily challenges.

R – Lord, I have a full load today.  I am grateful for Your Holy Spirit that enables me to approach my day courageously. I invite You to help me with my burdens.  Thank You for Your wisdom and the strength I need for today.  I will walk in freedom.

S – ¹⁴ Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” 

But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” 

¹⁵ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified. 

Mark 15:14–15 CSB

O – Pilate takes all the steps possible to release Jesus because he knows of his innocence.  “Wanting to satisfy the crowd” is a mistake.  Pilate is the most powerful man in Jerusalem.  Yet, he is allowing the crowd to direct his actions.

A – It is hard to stand alone.  Leadership is often about making decisions where some are happy and others are not. Today, we have the hindsight to see it was part of God’s overall plan. That is the key for us.  When we know it is God’s plan, we move forward with confidence.

R – Heavenly Father, thank You that You have a will and purpose.  Give us the courage and insight to see and lead.  We invite your Holy Spirit to lead us today in all things.

S – The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.” They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds. 

There is no one who does good. ² God looks down from heaven on the human race 

to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God. 

Psalms 53:1–2 CSB

O – Commentary: 

David received a revelation of God’s view of the human race: they are all fools. His summary description is in this verse: the fool believes there is no God; thus his life is corrupt and vile (i.e., abominable to God). In fact no one … does good.

“Psalms,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

David concluded that we are all sinners.

A – Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”  We recognize that we start as sinners and the only way for transformation is the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.  God looks for the one who sees how to live with Him in a relationship.

R – Heavenly Father, we are all sinners.  We recognize Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who came to earth as a man and was crucified and resurrected. We accept His blood as forgiveness of our sins.  We ascribe all

S – Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, “Let’s go up now and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it!” 

³¹ But the men who had gone up with him responded, “We can’t attack the people because they are stronger than we are!” 

Numbers 13:30–31 CSB

O – Caleb knows the promise of God and encourages the people to go after it.  The other spies (except Joshua) challenge him believing the enemy is stronger than they are.

A – Moses is faced with a “right and right” decision.  Joshua and Caleb are looking at it through God’s promise and want to take the land.  The other spies are looking at it from a natural sense and see they don’t have the manpower to defeat the inhabitants.  Both are correct.  It takes courage to obey God when it doesn’t make sense.  The key is to know God’s will and lead and then obey it decisively and quickly.

R – Heavenly Father, we will face challenges and decision today.  We invite you to make your will and lead clearly plain to us.  Give us the courage to obey quickly.  We want to know you intimately so we can walk in full confidence of your plans and prompting today.

S – God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

¹¹ Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 

Psalms  51:10 – 11 CSB

O – Commentary: 

51:10 a clean heart Throughout the works of the prophets, God states He will restore His people by giving them a new heart that will enable them to return to Him in obedience (see Jer 24:7; Ezek 11:20 and note).

51:11 do not take your Holy Spirit from me The psalmist may have been thinking of when God removed His Spirit from Saul after Saul became His enemy (see 1 Sam 16:14 and note)

Faithlife Study Bible 

A – We are going to make mistakes.  David comes to God in true repentance and contrition.  He also recognizes that he doesn’t want to lose the Holy Spirit.  The NT scriptures assure us that we are sealed in our relationship with God.  Yet, God looks at our hearts and knows the inner workings.  We need to come to him in true repentance like David did.

R – Heavenly Father, I am a sinner and I make mistakes.  I am grateful for your forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ and the presence of your Holy Spirit in my life.  Search my heart and reveal things in my life that don’t align with You or Your Word.  I desire Your presence and relationship with You.

S – The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the honorable, but destruction awaits evildoers. 

Proverbs 10:29 CSB

O – “Way” – derek,  a road (as trodden); fig. a course of life or mode of action, 

       “Stronghold” –mâ˓ûz, a fortified place; fig. a defence:— force, fort (-ress), rock, strength (-en), (× most) strong (hold)

      “Honorable” –tôm, completeness; fig. prosperity; usually (mor.) innocence:— full, integrity, perfect (-ion), simplicity, upright (-ly, -ness), 

 James Strong, The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996).

A – The path God has for us is a strength and defense for those who walk in the completeness of a relationship with Christ.  Without Christ, destruction awaits because they lack that completeness.  Interestingly, “stronghold” is usually referred to with a negative connotation with something that is against a Christian walk.  The definition applies in both scenarios.

R – Heavenly Father, I want my stronghold to be in You.  I am grateful for the relationship with Christ which makes up the difference in my lack.  I surrender the areas that I continue to work on in my relationship with You.  Thank you for your presence and power today.

S – May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make his face shine on you 

and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’

Numbers 6:24–26 CSB

O – This is the blessing God wanted for the priests to speak over the Israelites.  It brings out the qualities of God that only He has in the spiritual realm.  Man can do all of these to a certain level on their own but not at God’s.

A – We recognize that we do these things in our own ways and fall short of God’s abilities.  We need to recognize God in all areas of our lives so can receive the true blessing of His relationship, power and presence.

R – Heavenly Father, thank you for you love for us…right where we are in our journey with You.  We receive the blessing of knowing you intimately and desire more of your presence in our lives.  The blessings beyond this are indications of your power and love for us.  We are grateful for all that You bless us with today.

S – When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question him any longer

Mark 12:34 CSB

O – After numerous attempts to discredit Jesus, a scribe affirms Jesus’ answer of “Love God, Love People” as the greatest commandment.  The scribe goes on to say “Those are more important than all the burnt offerings.” Jesus affirmed him in saying “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” The recognition of love and relationships by the scribe is the turning point.  

A – We can get caught up in actions proving our faith instead of Jesus being the foundation.  The “Love God, Love People” inquiry is a simple test to tell us how we are doing in our walk with Him.  When we get off-center, we can ask God to forgive us and ask Him to help us line up with His Word and His will.

R – Heavenly Father, we invite your Holy Spirit to lead us today so our love for You and others grows.  We surrender our desires and seek Your will and purposes.  Help us to live our faith in our thoughts, words and actions.

S – What the wicked dreads will come to him, but what the righteous desire will be given to them. 

Proverbs 10:24 

O – The wicked knows there is a day of reckoning.  If one is approaching something righteously, God is part of the equation.

A – The “wicked” recognize that there is a “price” to pay for everything – our actions, attitudes and words.  Our conscience allows us to know right from wrong. The righteous person knows their price is already paid in Jesus on the cross.  This doesn’t cause them to continue in wickedness.  It allows them to find a Godly path.  They will receive their desire – more of God.

R – Heavenly Father, our prayer is that we would grow in our intimacy with You.  We would take on more of Your Character and think, speak and act accordingly.  Thank you for your mercy which takes off our own path and puts us on the one You have for us.