The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 19 February 2024 – I Will Call Upon God
TOPIC: I Will Call Upon God
READ: Psalm 55: 1-23 (NKJV)
- To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
- Attend to me, and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,
- Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me, And in wrath they hate me.
- My heart is severely pained within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
- Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me.
- So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.
- Indeed, I would wander far off, [And] remain in the wilderness. Selah
- I would hasten my escape From the windy storm [and] tempest.”
- Destroy, O Lord, [and] divide their tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
- Day and night they go around it on its walls; Iniquity and trouble [are] also in the midst of it.
- Destruction [is] in its midst; Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.
- For [it is] not an enemy [who] reproaches me; Then I could bear [it.] Nor [is it] one [who] hates me who has exalted [himself] against me; Then I could hide from him.
- But [it was] you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance.
- We took sweet counsel together, [And] walked to the house of God in the throng.
- Let death seize them; Let them go down alive into hell, For wickedness [is] in their dwellings [and] among them.
- As for me, I will call upon God, And the LORD shall save me.
- Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.
- He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle [that was] against me, For there were many against me.
- God will hear, and afflict them, Even He who abides from of old. Selah Because they do not change, Therefore they do not fear God.
- He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; He has broken his covenant.
- [The words] of his mouth were smoother than butter, But war [was] in his heart; His words were softer than oil, Yet they [were] drawn swords.
- Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
- But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I will trust in You.
THE MESSAGE:
In this Psalm, David prays for God to attend to his complaints about his wicked enemies. If possible, he would prefer to escape to a far location to be at rest. He is greatly alarmed because he is being troubled by not even a real enemy but by his companion and acquaintance who worshipped God with him. In spite of the bad activities of this person, David says he will call on God to save him by praying three times a day. He also advises the righteous to cast his burden on the Lord who will sustain him in stability. He leaves the judgment of the wicked in the hands of God and says he will trust in Him.
There are lots of problems and challenges facing Christians today including insecurity, kidnappings, high cost of living, high rate of unemployment, food scarcity, poverty, high monetary exchange rate and corruption of the political class. We need to call upon the Lord to grant us solutions to these problems. We need to also pray for those in authority to rule with justice and the fear of God. Start praying today by calling upon the Lord.
PRAYER: O Lord, help me to call upon You every day.
