O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. (Psalm 71:17) As stated in the previous devotion, coming into the fulness of what God has called us to be is a process -- sometimes a long process, at least from our point of view....

O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. (Psalm 71:17) Have you ever wondered how it is that David, a young man untrained in the art of war, was inspired and confident to face the Philistine's champion, Goliath? The Bible...

I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day. (Psalm 71:14-15) A notable Jewish sage once made this observation: the most eloquent praise man can offer God is to continually...

My enemies speak against me; and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together, saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.” O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! (Psalm 71:10-12) If we...

You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth. By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You. (Psalm 71:5-6) Jewish commentators say that, in order to truly appreciate the...

In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me. Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for...

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified!” (Psalm 70:4) Here is a fundamental truth: whatever we choose to focus upon, we will fear and/or revere. For instance, as long as Peter...

Let them be ashamed and confounded who seek my life; let them be turned back and confused who desire my hurt. (Psalm 70:2) You may recall that we pointed out this psalm is believed to have been written by David when he was fleeing from Absalom. That is interesting...

Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord! (Psalm 70:1) In recent devotions, I have mentioned that rabbinical commentators consider the previous psalm to be prophetic in nature. Specifically, David's prayer is interpreted as being both a petition...

Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Make haste to help me, O Lord! (Psalm 70:1) There is a belief among some commentators that this psalm is connected to another of David's compositions, Psalm 40. The latter is believed to have been written when David was young and...

For the Lord hears the poor, and does not despise His prisoners. (Psalm 69:33) Though the world may see the poor as helpless, in God's eyes this is not so. In fact, they have access to something far valuable that any rich man's gold. Though they lack in material...

The humble shall see this and be glad; and you who seek God, your hearts shall live. (Psalm 69:32) I believe it is fair to say that, for the most part and for the longest time, God has been hidden from mankind. That is not to say He can't be detected or found, for as...