Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 2)

Day 2 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Today’s Devotional Thoughts from Pastor Stern:

As you pray through Psalm 9 today, consider these three verses:

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds” (Psalms 9:1). 

In this time of national uncertainty, how should Christians respond? Wouldn’t it be glorious if we responded like David in this verse? First, he gives thanks to God with his whole heart (not a half heart!) Second, he recounts the wonderful deeds of God. And as New Testament believers, we have even more wonderful deeds to recount. David could recount God’s covenant faithfulness to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, and so many more. But we can recount the accomplishment of redemption through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! What deeds have you been recounting lately in your heart—God’s deeds or something else?   

Ways to pray:

  • Forgive me for not giving thanks with my whole heart in this national crisis.  

  • Forgive me for not recounting your wondrous deeds as much as I recount the latest infection rate of COVID-19; may my eyes be fixed on you alone!

  • Lord, thank you for....

  • Please give me more opportunities to recount your wonderful deeds, O Lord!

“And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you” (Psalms 9:10).

How can you have confidence in “times of trouble” (cf. verse 9) like our nation is facing today? According to David, there are two conditions. First, you must know the name of God. And this doesn’t mean simply pronouncing the sounds. You need to have an experiential knowledge of the Triune God of the Bible—the holy God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who raised his Son Jesus Christ from the dead. But second, head knowledge of his name isn’t enough; you must trust in the Lord. This trust means repenting of sin and looking to Jesus Christ alone for hope, life, salvation, and everything. But amazingly, David tells us that those who trust in the name of God are never forsaken. So are you trusting God? Are you seeking him? 

Ways to pray: 

  • Heavenly Father, during this time of global pandemic, may more and more people come to know and trust your name. If possible, use me as an instrument to make your name known to my friends, family, and neighbors.

  • Forgive me for my unbelief. Let me not only know your name but trust it completely. Let me believe that I shall never be forsaken, no matter how dark things seem.

“Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men!” (Psalms 9:20).

If coronavirus should teach us anything as a nation, this is it. He is the Lord. He is holy. He is to be feared with a holy reverence. He's God, and we're not. But sometimes we think we’re smarter than God. We think we’re wiser than God. We think we can control everything through science and human innovation. But it only takes one virus from a market in China to bring the world to its knees. We would do well to remember that we “are but men.” And thankfully, we have a gracious Savior in heaven who loves us and gave himself for us (Galatians 2:20).

Ways to pray:

  • Use this crisis to humble me in my walk with you, Lord GOD.

  • Use this crisis to humble America, the Church, and the world. May we trust in you alone!