Day 16 – Psalm 44:17-26
17All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten You, and we have not been false to your covenant.
18Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from Your way;
19yet You have broken us in the place of jackals and covered us with the shadow of death.
20If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21would not God discover this? For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
23Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse Yourself! Do not reject us forever!
24Why do You hide your face? Why do You forget our affliction and oppression?
25For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly clings to the ground.
26Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!
Prayer of Reflection:
“God, You are in control of every situation, whether I feel it or not. You have created me to worship and exalt You, help me not lose sight of that purpose when trials come. It can seem that You are “asleep” at times, as if You do not care or are hiding from me. But Lord, I know because of Your love for me, You are not hiding and You never will. You are working in ways that I may never understand, but You know exactly what You are doing.
“Please teach my heart to look to You in times of struggle and to not lose hope. Give me patience as You have me wait in difficult situations. Allow me to recognize Your work in my life so that I will praise You for Your great faithfulness. Thank you for loving me unconditionally even though I do not deserve it. Amen.”
by Allison Bishop
In times past when I experienced troubles I looked to God for help and answers. There was a time I got only silence and lost my faith. But God was there anyways and brought me home. I just had to be patient and wait for him to do things in his own time. I have learned to trust that he will always pull through for me and has promised to never leave me. I must always keep that close to my heart so I never lose my way again. He loves me and that is all that matters. May he find more of his lost sheep today.
Rose, I deeply appreciate that you not only treasure what God has done–and is doing–in your life, but that you also understand that others need Him as well. Please continue to pray that the work to bring others into the kingdom continues and we each take seriously the role we play.