Daily Devotion: March 19

Psalm 27:1 
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

According to the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) this Psalm was written by David “before he was anointed.” This means that in all likelihood at the time of David writing this, he was hiding in caves, and running away from Saul and his men who wanted to take his life.  Now our situation today may not exactly be like David’s but it may be more like David’s than we think.  Many of us have been forced to hide in our homes from an enemy, in this case, a viral enemy that is seeking to kill us and like David, we are crying out to the Lord for protection, deliverance, and peace.  

As I read this Psalm, I immediately am confronted with the fact that David in the midst of these trials is unafraid (vs 1), confident (vs 3) and filled with courage (vs 14). David boldly declares that the Lord is his light. Though facing darkness in that cave, or perhaps for us the darkness of the unknown in our rapidly changing world, our Lord is Light. And as Light, He is the one who shines brightest when everything around may look so grim. David writes that the Lord is our strength, so therefore we don’t have to fear if we feel weak. He’s got us covered with His strength! David writes that the Lord is our salvation - He’s already won the war!

I would encourage you to read the rest of the Psalm right now. As you finish I would like to ask this question. “What is the basis for David’s courage, for him choosing faith over fear, and his overwhelming confidence in God’s deliverance?” I see it in two passages - verse 4, and verse 8.

Verse 4
One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

Verse 8
You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”

I believe that David was able to publicly declare his confidence and courage in the Lord because privately he sought after the Lord in worship, prayer, and in fellowship with Him. And as David did that, he discovered the very nature of God! God is our salvation! He is our light! He is our strength when we just feel weak! He is our provider, protector, loving and caring heavenly Father and that is why He can so graciously tell us by His Son not to be anxious for anything (Phi 4:6)! The secret of David’s confidence, and of the confidence that we can have today is to do what David says in verse 4 and 8. The New Testament equivalent would be to “Abide in Christ” (John 15:1-8) When we turn off the tv, turn off our phones, turn off our music, and simply spend time with Him, His presence, listening to His voice, pouring out our fears and doubts and weakness we will soon be met with a bold confidence that our God is in control, and will meet us in every circumstance that we are in.

QUESTIONS

1. We may now have more empty time than ever before in our lives. How can we use this time for good, and to “abide in Christ?” What could that look like practically day to day?
2. There are many promises that God gives to us in scripture to help us with our anxieties and fear. What are some of those promises that you can grab hold of right now? Personally I’m thinking of Matt 11:28-29!
3. Ask your children to be honest about how they are dealing with our current situation. Maybe this would be a great time to pray for them as you share the confidence that we have in our God.

FOR YOUR KIDS

Get to Know Your Kids

1. What is your favorite book to read right now?
2. If you wrote a book, what would its title be?

Devotional Questions

1. Take time to explain the meaning of these 3 words to your kids: Unafraid, confident and courageous. Think of examples of what these words can look like in life.
2. Ask your kids what time in the day they would like to set aside to spend time with God.
3. What could that time look like? (reading the Bible, watching a Bible story, singing worship songs)
4. Where do you want to spend that time? (living room, bedroom, dining room) 

Pray
Take time to pray with your kids. Have them think of one thing they want to thank God for.

Have Fun
There was a time in David’s life where he had to hide from king Saul? If you were David, where would you hide?

Play a game of hide and seek! Have one person play David and the other play King Saul.