Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 12)

Day 12 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 62-64

Evening: Psalms 65-67

Click Here for the Full reading plan

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.” (Psalms 62:1)

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”  (Psalms 62:5)

In verses 1 and 5, David says that he is waiting in silence for the Lord….

But silence is hard in the modern world. We are constantly connected to devices and screens. We almost never sit in true silence, where we have zero input from other human minds. Therefore, I would encourage us to experiment with true silence during this season of COVID-19.

Wake up early when you can be alone (or stay up late depending on your circadian rhythm). Don’t grab your smartphone. Don’t get on social media. Don’t turn on the news. Don’t turn on the radio. Don’t read a magazine or a paper. Just take your Bible, read the day’s Psalms reading, and then literally sit in silence with God for as long as you are able, knowing his holiness, power, love, faithfulness, wisdom, grace, mercy—knowing that God is God and we are not—knowing what he has done for us in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

But after this intentional time of silence, think about what it means to wait in silence for God daily and hourly. We want to cultivate this spiritual posture of repose toward God all the time. In other words, we should trust God even when we don’t understand what he’s doing in the world. We should trust him to act when he’s ready—according to his sovereign plan.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Lord, my soul is waiting in silence for you alone. From you alone comes my salvation and hope!

  2. Father, forgive me for never truly sitting in silence with you during the chaos of life.

  3. Please give me the desire to sit in silence today; show me what it looks like during COVID-19.

  4. Let me trust your plan, purpose, and timing today, O Lord.

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 11)

Day 11 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 56-58

Evening: Psalms 59-61

Click Here for the Full reading plan

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?”  (Psalms 56:8 ESV)

This verse should comfort those who are suffering during this season of COVID-19. Does God see? Does he know? Does he care?

First, God counts our sorrows: “You have kept count of my tossings.”

The word “tossings” can also be translated “wanderings” or “sorrows.” God is watching. He knows what we’re facing today. He’s not blind. He’s not unaware of our wanderings. He counts our sorrows. As Jesus says, “Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:7).

Second, God collects our tears and writes them in his book: “put my tears in your bottle.”

Isn’t that a beautiful image? When you cry, even if you think you’re alone, God sees and cares. And though this isn’t a literal image, the bottle of tears points to God’s omniscience and loving care for his people. As the Psalmist says elsewhere: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalms 116:15).

Now during COVID-19, nearly everyone is facing a lot of pressure. There is fear, sorrow, suffering, and tears around the world. But thankfully, God sees and cares. And he has demonstrated this by sending his own Son, Jesus Christ. He was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Or, as the Book of Hebrews says, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).

Ways to Pray:

  1. Thanks for keeping track of my wanderings and for loving me unconditionally in Christ!

  2. Forgive me for thinking that you don’t notice or care about the ways I’m suffering today.

  3. Give me opportunities to comfort others who are facing sorrow for whatever reason. Let me notice the tears of my neighbor as you notice mine.

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 10)

Day 10 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 50-52

Evening: Psalms 53-55

Click Here for the Full reading plan

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalms 55:22 ESV

Notice three elements in this verse:

First, notice the command: “Cast your burden on the Lord.”

And thankfully, this isn’t a burdensome command. It’s the opposite! God tells us to give all our burdens to him. We don’t need to carry them anymore. As the Apostle Peter says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

So today, what are your burdens and anxieties? It could be keeping your business afloat. It could be caring for an elderly parent. It could be applying for unemployment. It could be covering your mortgage while you’re out of work. It could be an underlying health condition that makes you more susceptible to COVID-19. It could be watching the news and being grieved for people in hotspots around the world.

But no matter what your burden is today, what will you do with it? Will you hold onto it and try to carry it yourself? Will you try to cast it on your spouse or loved one who can’t bear it? Or, will you cast your burden on the Lord as he commands in this text?

Second, notice the promise: “and he will sustain you.”

God doesn’t just give commands; he also gives promises. If we cast our burdens on him, he won’t leave us high and dry. Rather, he’ll sustain us. He’ll protect us. Or as Psalm 37 says, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act” (Psalms 37:5).

But this promise isn’t an extension of the “prosperity gospel.” The Psalmist isn’t promising a perfect life to everyone who casts their burdens on the Lord. Consider Job who was faithful but still suffered. Consider Jesus—the only perfect person in history—who went all the way to the cross.

Casting our burdens on the Lord isn’t a simplistic fix to life’s problems, but it’s also not a platitude. God will sustain us. He will protect us. He will shepherd us, though his ways aren’t our ways. And his horizon for care may not fit our expectations. However, God is faithful and his promises are real.

Third and finally, notice the condition: “he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”

Wait…God will only sustain the righteous? Are you righteous in yourself? Am I righteous in myself? Can anyone claim to be righteous in God’s sight? Well, the Psalmist says, “there is none who does good, not even one” (Psalms 53:3). And the Apostle Paul says, “None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). So this presents a problem: God only promises to sustain the righteous, but we’re all unrighteous in ourselves. Is there hope?

Thankfully, this is where the Gospel comes in. The Apostle Paul says that he wants to be found in Christ, “not having a righteousness of [his] own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9). In other words, Jesus lived a righteous life in our place; he died a sacrificial death on the cross. So when we repent and trust in Jesus, we are clothed in his righteousness through faith. God doesn’t see us clothed in our own unrighteousness; he sees us clothed in the perfect life of Christ. And theologians call this an “alien righteousness” because it’s not our own righteousness—it’s the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Lord, help me to clearly see my burdens today. And once I see them, let me cast them on Christ.

  2. Father, forgive me for not trusting your loving care. Please let me really believe that you’ll sustain me when I trust in you.

  3. Let there be revival in my nation! Let Americans wake up from their spiritual stupor and cast their burdens on you, Lord God Almighty!

  4. Thank you for the reliability of your promises!

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 9)

Day 9 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 44-46

Evening: Psalms 47-49

(Click here to print the reading plan)

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.” Psalms 47:1-2 ESV

The Psalmist tells us to clap our hands and shout to God with joy. And why? Well, notice that he doesn’t say, “Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For your life is smooth and easy.” “Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For everything in the world is perfect.” “Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For you are healthy, wealthy, and wise.” No! We shout to God with loud songs of joy because God is to be feared as our holy and righteous King. Therefore, true joy isn’t rooted in the flimsy “ups and downs” of this world; rather, it’s rooted in a God who is “Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth” (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q. 4).

But I fear that many Christians (including me) are forgetting this joy during COVID-19. We are afraid; we are tired; we are restless; we are cynical. And perhaps we are forgetting our joy because we fear coronavirus more than we fear God. But, while this virus can only kill the body or destroy the economy, Jesus says, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!”

So if you’re interested in increasing your joy during this national crisis, I would encourage you to do something counterintuitive in the modern world. Spend more time reflecting on the fear of God in the Bible. What is it? Do you personally fear God? Are there different kinds of fear? How can you fear God more? And as you reflect on questions like these, I would recommend two resources. First, click here to explore other Bible passages about the fear of God. Second, read a little book called the Fear of God by John Bunyan.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Forgive me, Lord, for fearing COVID-19 more than I fear you as my loving King!

  2. Forgive me for losing my joy during this national crisis. Restore to me the joy of my salvation.

  3. Help me understand what it means to fear you as my King.

  4. Thank you for the joy I know through faith in Christ. Give me an opportunity to share this joy with someone else today.

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 8)

Day 8 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 38-40

Evening: Psalms 41-43

(Click here to print the reading plan)

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”  (Psalms 39:4-7 ESV)

In our time of international turmoil, these verses from Psalm 39 are certainly countercultural. We want to feel good about ourselves. We want confidence in our world. But David wants to know how fleeting he is. Have you ever prayed this? He says, “Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!” In other words, we are in turmoil because of our fear of death and our love of money, but every single one of us will die in the end unless Christ comes back first. Or, as Job says in his sorrow, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not” (Job 14:1-2).

Now this may not sound like the “positive, encouraging” devotional you wanted to read this morning. But I love the visceral realism of the Bible. It doesn’t expect us to stick our heads in the sand and pretend everything is fine when it’s not. We can lament the vanity of life. We can mourn the brief, shadowy nature of human existence under the sun. And personally, I find texts like Psalm 39 comforting. When we see what’s going on in the world during COVID-19, we are reminded “how fleeting” life is. We are reminded that we need a living hope beyond the toil and hardship of this life.

And thankfully, that’s exactly what David expresses in verse 7. Life is short and full of turmoil; all is vanity and chasing after wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14). Therefore, is there hope? What are we waiting for? Where can we put down an anchor in the tempestuous sea of life? Well, David says, “My hope is in you.” And certainly he’s right. We can hope in God. After all, as the Apostle Paul says, “hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).

And when we recognize this amazing reality, we can begin to say:

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”  (Psalms 42:5-6 ESV)

Ways to Pray:

  1. Father, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days.

  2. Lord Jesus, let me know how fleeting I am!

  3. Holy Spirit, help me to stop hoping in myself and this world. Let me hope in Christ alone!

  4. Triune God, let me be realistic about the hardships of life. But don’t ever let me be consumed by fear or cynicism. May I find living hope in you today!

  5. Please give me opportunities to share my hope with others as I go about my day—even in quarantine!

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 7)

Day 7 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 35-36

Evening: Psalm 37

(Click here to print the reading plan)

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land. You will watch when the wicked are destroyed” (Psalm 37:34, CSB).

I haven't left the house in nine days now. Not to the grocery store. Not to work. I had to go start my car because my paranoia told me it's been sitting for too long. I have a lot of nervous energy and boredom that online video lectures, podcasts, and Animal Crossing: New Horizon do not seem to be satisfying. 
It's hard to just sit and wait, literally going nowhere. Sure, most of my anxiety is self-inflicted, but it really shows how much we need to move as people. Not move from one video game to another Netflix show; not even from one room to another. We need to get out and about. Cabin Fever is a real thing.

It's a whole other perspective when we look toward God. We want everything on our time table, and then we wonder why God isn't on board. We do first, pray later. We let our agenda dictate our horizon. God really has shown how fragile our lives are.

For the original audience of this Psalm, their central concern was one thing: stay in the land. God promises them this inheritance, not through conquering, but through faithful waiting. They receive security and prosperity when they wait for God.

We are busy people. We've already had a seemingly “apocalyptic” 2020, and we just want this event to end so we can move on to the next world-ending catastrophe of this year. But sometimes the best answer is to wait. Not lazy waiting; wait and see what God is doing.

We as a church are sympathetic toward Israel's anxiety. Paul tells us "our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20), or he uses more painful language of our hope: "we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits--we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:23). This really is the irony of Christian hope; it's painful. We place our hope in Christ's death and resurrection. Now what? We wait. This time of isolation illustrates what the church continually longs for. It's even the final words of the Bible: "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20). During this time of COVID-19, let us come back to what gospel-centered waiting looks like:

O Come, O Come, Immanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appears

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall Come to thee, O Israel.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Father, help us to be faithful and willing to wait even in hard times.

  2. Adoration: You are faithful even when we are anxiously waiting.

  3. Confession: We are people that are often worried about tomorrow.

  4. Thanksgiving: Thank you for keeping your promise to redeem us for our heavenly home!

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 6)

Day 6 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 30-31

Evening: Psalms 32-34

(Click here to print the reading plan)

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How joyful is a person whom the LORD does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit!” (Psalm 32:1-2, CSB)

How many of you want to be happy? *Jeopardy Theme Song Playing*

I’m not giving you a trick question; there’s not a test at the end of this devotion. How many of you could say you want joy? Better question: how many of you are happy right now? Happiness is a commodity that we talk about a lot, but we never seem to understand how to get.

King David gets it though, and let me put an emphasis on “King.” He had all he could ever want: fame and fortune as the greatest king of Israel. But where is true happiness found? According to David, it comes from being in a right relationship with God.

These verses are important to Scripture; the Apostle Paul uses them again in Romans 4:7-8, explaining that both Abraham (another believer in the Old Testament) and David were justified by faith. They were declared righteous in God’s sight. Why? Because of their faith in the promise of God to redeem them through a Savior. When we see the full scope of God’s plan, we see that this promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ dying on the cross and rising again from the dead. When we turn from our sin and trust that Jesus is our one and only Savior from sin, we can come into God’s presence not as guilty people. God states that our sins are forgiven; it’s not God making us people deserving of forgiveness in this life; instead, he declares us to be forgiven while we are still sinners.

Does this bring joy to your heart? More importantly, do you believe this? It’s the Gospel; and in the midst of quarantine, it hasn’t changed. So let us find true gospel-joy in what Christ has done for us today.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Father, remind me of the joy that the Gospel brings.

  2. Keep me from thinking that my own goodness is good enough to save me.

  3. Adoration: Father, you are the promise-keeping and forgiving God that offers forgiveness through Jesus. Thank you!

  4. Confession: Forgive me for often trusting in myself to be good, or trying to justify myself in your sight.

  5. Thanksgiving: Thank you that you freely offer salvation to everyone who turns from their sins to your Son.

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 5)

Day 5 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 24-26

Evening: Psalms 27-29

(Click here to print the reading plan)

Today’s Devotional Thought from Pastor Stern:

“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: / That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, / To behold the beauty of the Lord / And to meditate in His temple.”  (Psalms 27:4 NASB)

If you could make one request of the Lord, what would it be? During this national crisis, I imagine that most of us would ask for an end to COVID-19 or restoration of the American economy. But David asks for only “one thing,” and it’s not what we might expect. So notice three aspects of this “one thing.”

First, notice that David wants to dwell “in the house of the Lord” all the days of his life.

In other words, he never wants to leave God’s home, which reminds me of a young child playing at her friend’s house. When her mother comes to pick her up, she says, “Please mom—I want to stay longer. I love it here! Can we have a sleepover?” And this is exactly how David was at the Tabernacle where God’s holy presence dwelt with his people.

But of course, we no longer worship at the Tabernacle or the Temple as New Testament believers. Our worship isn’t tied to one building or one city. However, our deepest desire should also be for the holy presence of God in the New Heavens and New Earth—the New Jerusalem. And thankfully, we get a dim foretaste of this reality in the assembled worship of the local church every Lord’s Day. And it’s one of the reasons this season of COVID-19 is so hard. We can’t gather with other believers in public worship as a foretaste of our heavenly occupation; but we long for it!

Second, notice that David wants to behold “the beauty of the Lord.”

David isn’t simply looking forward to spending his life in God’s house; he also wants to gaze at the beauty of God. But what is this beauty? Stephen Charnock, a 17th century English Puritan, says that God’s beauty is his holiness. He writes, “Power is his hand and arm, omniscience his eye, mercy his bowels [i.e. heart], eternity his duration, his holiness is his beauty” (Works of Stephen Charnock). That’s why the Psalmist says, “O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalms 96:9 KJV). So our longing as believers should be for the beauty of God’s holiness. In other words, we're like desert nomads who thought muddy puddles were spectacular until we saw the ocean for the first time.

Finally, notice that David wants “to meditate” in the temple of the Lord.

Perhaps you’ve had the privilege of spending time alone at places like the Philadelphia Museum of Art. You’ll walk past countless paintings without feeling anything. But suddenly, you’re captivated by a certain work. Maybe it’s the eyes, the mouth, or something else. But you stop, find a chair, and just meditate on the painting until you lose track of time. This is what I think David is describing; he’s in the house of God gazing at the beauty of God. And he wants nothing more than to meditate on his beauty forever.

So rather than meditating on our problems during this national crisis, let us meditate on the beauty of God’s holiness. Then our prayer becomes the same as David:

You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!  (Psalms 27:8-9 ESV)

Ways to Pray:

  1. Father, I don’t simply want to see your gifts in my life; I want to see your beauty! Let my heart be fixed on you. Don’t let me be content with the light of the moon when I can gaze at the radiant beauty of your holiness through the eyes of faith!

  2. Forgive me for meditating on the threat of COVID-19 more than I meditate on your beauty. Draw my gaze to you, so that I can point others to you as well.

  3. Please end the spread of coronavirus so that I can worship in person with the Body of Christ every Lord’s Day! I long for this foretaste of heaven to come!

Bonus Devotional Thought from Jonathan Hatt (Hope’s pastoral intern):

Vindicate me, LORD, because I have lived with integrity and have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Test me, LORD, and try me; examine my and mind. For your faithful love guides me, and I live by your truth (Psalm 26:1-3, CSB).

Look at David's heart in these verses:

  1. David's life is a reflection of the goodness that the LORD has shown him.

  2. Because of his own integrity, David seeks vindication from the LORD. This righteousness isn't some inherent righteousness within David himself. How do we know this? 

  3. David longs for vindication because of the covenant God has kept with him (v.3)

During our time of isolation, it can be tempting to take a mental or spiritual break. There's so much going on in the world. I have my job (if I still have one) to worry about, right? How does this psalm speak to our situation right now?

Remember that king David did not have a boring life. We could give a fairly long list of psalms where David calls out to God for his own life. Even look at vv. 8-9, and you can see that there is certainly trouble in his life right then and there. But in the midst of this chaos, David cries out for deliverance because of his own integrity. Um, David you seem to be forgetting a little something called "free grace."

But that's the thing about this psalm: David is wholly dependent upon God's covenant faithfulness here; he needs God's grace right then and there.

You might be struggling today in your Christian walk (I know I sure can be). Why pray when my 401k needs to be taken care of? Why read Scripture when I need to hear the latest podcast finally explaining COVID-19 for all of us? Why fellowship with people close to you (on Zoom or Skype obviously) when it's easier to share Facebook articles about all of this?

Where our distress is, there will our heart be also. Here's our hope in this psalm today: God's faithful love (steadfast love in ESV) has not changed. Jesus has still been raised from the dead. We can refocus our minds back on this truth and let it be our guide on how we live (just like David in v.3). Let's reset our priorities back to God's promises to us in the midst of this chaos.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Make my life and thoughts into a reflection of the Gospel

  2. May God's faithful love guide what I worry about, what I listen to, and what I post today.

  3. Adoration: Father, you are the one who keeps my feet on level ground (v. 12), who has shown faithful love through your Son Jesus.

  4. Confession: Forgive me for not walking and reflecting the truth of this faithful love you have shown me.

  5. Thanksgiving: Thank you, Father, that this time of uncertainty can remind us of your faithfulness

  6. Supplication: May each of us strive in living the integrity that the Gospel brings to our lives.

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 4)

Day 4 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalms 20:7 ESV).

For people in the modern world, trusting in chariots and horses may seem like a pleasant metaphor. But remember, these were prime examples of human power and might in the ancient world. Therefore, I wonder how David would have written this verse in 2020. “Some trust in doctors.” “Some trust in science.” “Some trust in politicians.” “Some trust in the economy.” And what are we trusting to get us through this global pandemic?

Well, in one sense, we are trusting in human power. If we’re sick, we trust in a doctor to provide care. If our business is struggling to make ends meet, we trust in a bank to provide loans. If we lose our jobs, we trust in the government for unemployment. And we’re trusting in doctors, scientists, and epidemiologists to create a vaccine for COVID-19 as soon as possible, Lord willing.

Now there’s nothing inherently wrong with this kind of trust. I’m sure that David placed a certain kind of trust in his horses and mighty men of war (read First and Second Samuel). But he knew not to place his ultimate trust in human might and wisdom. That’s why he says that those who trust in chariots and horses will “collapse and fall” (verse 8a). But those who trust in the name of the Lord will “rise and stand upright” (verse 8b). In other words, placing our ultimate trust in human beings doesn’t work. On the other hand, placing our ultimate hope in the Lord always works out in the end (even if we don’t see it in this life).

So in this current pandemic, we can place limited trust in doctors, bankers, politicians, and epidemiologists. But thankfully, our ultimate trust is in the Lord God Almighty who will never fail.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Forgive me for trusting in human wisdom and strength more than you, O LORD.

  2. Thank you for being more reliable and trustworthy than any mere human.

  3. Let me trust you more today.

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 3)

Day 3 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Today’s Devotional Thought:

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”  (Psalms 16:1-2)

As you read these two verses, notice three aspects of David’s prayer:

  • First, the request: “Preserve me, O God”

  • Second, the rationale: “for in you I take refuge.”

  • Third, the assertion: “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

Today I want to camp out on this third and final aspect. What does it mean to “have no good” apart from God? Well, imagine a scale with two sides. On the one side, you put every good thing you can imagine in this world. On the other side, you put God alone. Which side is better? According to David, God outweighs everything, and nothing is truly good apart from him.

Now this is relevant for our national crisis today. A lot of things we thought of as good have been taken off the scales of life: access to toilet paper on demand (I’m kind of joking), freedom of movement, job security, confidence in the world economy, and our own sense of control. And for many, COVID-19 is currently threatening life itself or the life of a loved one.

But if David is right and we have nothing “good apart from God,” then suffering isn’t what we originally thought. Health, wealth, and prosperity are good but end in despair apart from God. And why? Because we have no good apart from him! Likewise, pandemic and economic downturn are terrible but can end in eternal good if we have God.

So we need to examine ourselves: can we truly say that we have nothing good apart from God? Or do we think that God is good as long as we have something else too?

Ways to Pray:

  1. Preserve me and my family from this virus.

  2. Preserve our healthcare workers and vulnerable members of our community.

  3. Let me take refuge in you alone through your Son, Jesus Christ.

  4. Adoration: You alone are my good—nothing else!

  5. Confession: Forgive me for seeking good in the world apart from you.

  6. Thanksgiving: Thank you for using this national crisis to point me to yourself as my ultimate good.

  7. Supplication: May those who are looking for good from this life discover that there is no good apart from you (see Psalm 17:14-15).