West Park Contributor

Day 28 – Psalm 57:4-5

⁴My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.

⁵Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let Your glory be over all the earth!

Prayer of Reflection:

“Almighty and most merciful Father, I humbly beseech Thee, of thy Great Goodness, to deliver my soul from among the lions and those among men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongue a sharp sword. My thankfulness and joy abounds in Thy great mercy for my ceaseless sin, redeemed by Your grace, paid by the flesh and blood of Your Holy Son.

“Father, I pray for my enemies that You may soften their hearts so they may see You as I see You and worship You as You deserve to be worshiped. Father, I pray for my loved ones that I may be a vessel of Your wisdom and courage. Father, make me a fisher of men that I may stand strong against the forces of evil and triumph with great humility in Your name, spreading Your Truth to all ears that can hear. And at last, Father, grant me wisdom and the Holy Spirit that I may search the depth of Your heart for what I can not know. May one day I enter the Great Gates of Your Kingdom and hear Your words speak, “I am well pleased.”

“May your Holiness be soon made manifest from here to the Heavens in the sight of all eyes. Amen.”

by Jay Woodward

Day 27 – Psalm 97:10-12

¹⁰O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of His saints; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
¹²Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to His holy name!

Prayer of Reflection:

“O God of my salvation, I want to be holy for You are holy. Search my heart and destroy all evil, rid me of what breaks Your heart. Oh, that I might stand righteous before You.

“Thank you that You have sealed me by the Holy Spirit and will keep me till the day I see You face to face. Oh my soul, how I long for that day and to worship You being sin free!

“My gratitude is to You, my God, who came after me when I walked in darkness, and then You brought to me Your great light. I was dwelling in the shadow death but You reached way down to bring New Birth, and now I am living in the light by the blood of Jesus Christ, Your Son, who has cleansed me from all sin.

“Father, oh God my Father, may I always remember Your greatness and never ever take You for granted! Now, as I wait for You, even with the evil that is all around me, give to me great portions of Your grace that I may stand steadfast, faithful, and without wavering….no matter the circumstances….in these evil days.

“Make glad my heart, oh God, as I wait and watch for You. All thanksgiving and remembrance to the holy God of heaven and earth, who is still on His throne and in control. I bow at the sound of Your Name! Amen.”

by Elaine Granade

Day 26 – Psalm 36

¹Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes.
²For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
³The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
⁴He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.

⁵Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds.
⁶Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast You save, O Lord.

⁷How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
⁸They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights.
⁹For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light.

¹⁰Oh, continue Your steadfast love to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright of heart!
¹¹Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹²There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.

Prayer of Reflection:

“Father God, You alone are worthy of praise, honor, and glory. Your love, faithfulness, and righteousness are beyond measure. You are just in all Your ways, and even though I may not understand why You do what You do, it is always right. Lord, the wicked have no fear of You. They are filled with pride, doing what is right in their own eyes. They are deceived and do not understand who You are or believe You will judge all sin. May the Holy Spirit open their eyes to the Truth, because their only hope is Jesus.

“You are righteous and just and filled with unfailing love. You are a covenant keeping God, who is always there; Your love is everywhere! You are Light and Life and You abundantly bless those who seek You.  In the shadow of Your wings I am protected and find refuge from the storm.

“Thank you for Your steadfast love, grace and mercy and I pray that You will continue to bring them into my life. There is evil all around and I ask that You protect me and keep my heart and thoughts pure and keep me free from pride. You alone are to be praised, for you are the one true living eternal God. Amen.”

by Nancy Claiborne

Day 25 – Psalm 95:1-4

¹Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
 ²Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!
³For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
 ⁴In His hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are His also.
⁵The sea is His, for He made it,
and His hands formed the dry land.

Prayer of Reflection:

“Heavenly Father, I come before Your presence praising You, thanking You, Lord, for all Your blessings. You are Almighty, King of Kings, Lord of Lords. I see Your glory all around me, in the sun, the moon, the ocean, on all the earth. I pray I never take Your love and blessings for granted, that each day as I bow down and worship You, I will never forget the privilege of coming to You in prayer. You are my shelter in times of need; You are my strength, my rock. Thank you that You are always there, forgiving me, loving me. I pray that I can be a faithful servant and listen for Your Holy Spirit to guide me as Your sheep, that I will hear Your voice. You are my God; I love You with all my heart. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

by Barbara Budlong

Day 24 – Psalm 34

¹I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
²My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.
³Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together!

⁴I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
⁵Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
⁶This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them.

⁸Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
⁹Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack!
¹⁰The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

¹¹Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
¹²What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?
¹³Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
¹⁴Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry.
¹⁶The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
²⁰He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
²¹Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
²²The Lord redeems the life of His servants; none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

Prayer of Reflection:

“Lord, how can I not praise You constantly? ‘Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me.’ Please let nothing but praise of You come from my heart and be on my lips. Then, others will hear and glorify You also. You always answer my prayers and never let me down. You are forever faithful to me; I love You, Lord.

“When I am fearful or afraid, I know that You alone can help me. Your Holy Spirit is in me and You are beside me. You have brought me through many dangers and afflictions. You are Love, and I know You will help me through trials.

“You provide for me and my family. You will never let us lack any good thing. Your will for me is always for my good. So that I may have a blessed and long life, keep my mouth pure and truthful. You hear the prayers of the righteous; Your eyes and ears are constantly open. Praise Your name forever! I know that I won’t be condemned like the unrighteous because of Your love for me at Calvary. Praise the Lord! Amen.”

by Sandy Snyder

Day 23 – Psalm 93

¹ The Lord reigns; He is robed in majesty;
 the Lord is robed; He has put on strength as His belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

² Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.
³ The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.

⁴ Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
 mightier than the waves of the sea,
 the Lord on high is mighty!
⁵ Your decrees are very trustworthy;
 holiness befits Your house,
O Lord, forevermore.

Prayer of Reflection:

“Lord God, You are worthy to be praised. You reign over all the earth. What a privilege it is to be in prayer with You. When I think of You as the creator of all things, I am in awe of the fact that You desire to have a relationship with me.

“Thank you that I am Your child and You are preparing a holy house for me. You are from everlasting to everlasting. You existed in eternity past and I will live with You and praise You in eternity future. I know this because You sent Your Son to earth, to suffer and die for my sin. As my Savior, He rose from the dead with all power in His hands.

“Thank you, God, for that power. This lifeboat that I am on is often shaky. The floods pitch it to and fro and even threaten to breach its small borders. But fear is not an option. When I fill overwhelmed, and I often do, I think of Your strength. The Psalms say You are belted with strength. Your strength is my strength. When the noise of thunderous waters tries to drown out Your voice Lord, help me to be still and sensitive to Your Spirit within me. You will lead me out of troubled times. You are mightier than even the biggest waves because the Scripture says greater is He that is in me than he that is in the World.

“Thank you that Your testimonies are true and steadfast because You are a Holy God who cannot lie. Your house is filled with Your holy presence, just as my body is filled with Your Holy Spirit; what a power laden truth that calms my floods. Help me to be overwhelmed by You and not the world around me. I love You, Lord. You are worthy to be praised, now and forevermore.”

by Terri Cage

Day 22 – Psalm 32:1-2

¹ Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
² Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Prayer of Reflection:

“Dear LORD, our heavenly Father, we praise You and thank you for the forgiveness You have made available to us through Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for blessing us with Your salvation, for we know that only through the shed blood of Your Son, and our Savior, that we can know forgiveness.

“Father, Your pardon of all of our sins makes us blessed indeed! Thank you, Father, for covering our sin in the blood of Your precious Son, the Lord Jesus. He died that we might have acceptance in Your sight and be welcomed into Your throne room. It is there that we can make our petitions known and know that You will hear our prayers.

“Father, You tell us in Your word that if we ask anything according to Your will You hear us, and if you hear us we can then have the confidence that we shall receive the petitions we desire from You. Thank you, Father, for the multitude of prayers You have answered and for the ones You will soon answer.

“Blessed indeed is the one against whom You count no iniquity, for our iniquities would separate us from You and we desire a closer more intimate relationship with You. Please, Father, forgive us of all our sins, forgive us of all of our iniquity. Help us to come to you, to confess any known sin quickly, and to be more and more like Jesus everyday.

“May our spirits be transformed into His likeness, may there be no deceit found in us. We cannot lie to You for You see all things and know all things. Help us, Father, always to confess our sins quickly, to repent of them fully, and to ever walk closer to you. In Jesus’ holy name we pray, Amen.”

by Peggy Harvey

Day 21 – Psalm 31:1-5

¹ In You, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in Your righteousness deliver me!
² Incline Your ear to me; rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!

³ For You are my rock and my fortress; and for Your name’s sake You lead me and guide me;
⁴ You take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for You are my refuge.
⁵ Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

Prayer of Reflection:

“Lord, I believe in faith that You are my shelter and protection. In my distress, in situations where I see the design of evil around me, I earnestly seek You, God, and am confident of Your protection and sure mercies of my soul, even in the middle of troubles.

“In Your mercy and righteousness, deliver me and keep me from dishonoring Your name. I know You take notice of my plight and are always working for my good to save me and bring glory to You. I pray, Lord, under Your divine guidance, to order both my steps and my will as I resolve for You to lead and direct my path.

“Lord, by Your strength, keep me out of the enemies’ trap and from the sin that would ensnare me. I affirm my dependence on You as I give my spirit into Your hand, trusting You to redeem my soul as my faithful God. Amen.”

by Ruth Blevins