Tuesday Daily Prayer

April 21, 2020

Psalm 3

Trust in God under Adversity

1 O Lord, how many are my foes!
    Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying to me,
    “There is no help for you in God.”         Selah

3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me,
    my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy hill.  Selah

5 I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people
    who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Rise up, O Lord!
    Deliver me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
    you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Deliverance belongs to the Lord;
    may your blessing be on your people!             Selah

A Shield around Us

O Lord, in the past few weeks we have often felt like we were being attacked by this coronavirus, unseen and silent.  Our feelings are a strange mixture of fear and of anger, of worry and of comfort, of grief and of gratitude, of anxiety and trust.

In the darkness of our sadness we sometimes wonder if you really help us.

But you, O Lord, are a shield around us.  You are with us in our suffering; in your compassion you suffer with us. 

When we cry out to you, you speak to us in the silence of our hearts.  We breathe deeply and are calmed by your peace.  We turn our hearts toward you and hear your assurance, spoken in your still, small voice. 

We recognize that you are with us every moment, in our sleeping and in our waking.  You sustain us and give us strength and hope in the midst of our fear. 

Rise up and deliver us from this virus that takes our breath away.  Deliver us from the silent fear of our isolation.  Center our hearts on your presence with us.

Our hope is in our trust in you.  In the pain and grief, you are with us to comfort and sustain us.  In the suffering and sorrow, you give strength and hope.  In the uncertainty of our lives, you are faithful and trustworthy.  We trust in your presence each day.  Our hope is in you.  We give you our thanks.  Amen.

—
Submitted By:
Greg Smith
Director of Legacy Ministry
First Baptist Church Decatur