The Favor of the Lord
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I will never pray to anyone but you. . . . Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; with deepest awe I will worship at your Temple. Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Tell me clearly what to do, and show me which way to turn. . . . For you bless the godly, O Lord, surrounding them with your shield of love. Psalm 5:2, 7-8, 12
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This psalm is called the Inheritance Prayer and expresses a twofold blessing: First, we are recipients of great favor and a great inheritance. Second, the righteous—those in right standing with the Father by virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection—are the Lord’s own inheritance. Because we belong to him and are his heirs, God blesses our lives with deliverance, direction, and continual access into his presence. Because of his unfailing love for us, we can enter his throne room and receive his grace. When we ask him to tell us what to do, he will show us which way to turn and will always lead us on the right path. To top it all off, he encompasses, or encircles, us with the shield of his love, which means that he covers us with his favor and with the approval that he bestows on the righteous. This is a wonderful thing to petition the Lord for, on behalf of your loved ones and for your own life. Pray these verses today and in the days ahead, not only before job interviews and decisions, but for business relationships and daily encounters in ministry and life.
Prayers:
FATHER, thank you for the gift of being able to enter your house and worship at your temple every day. I ask you to lead me down right paths and to show me which way to turn. Thank you for protecting me from my enemies. You and you alone deliver me from them! Thank you for surrounding me with the shield of your love and favor.
Quotes:
Measure not God’s love and favor by your own feeling. The sun shines as clearly in the darkest day as it does in the brightest. The difference is not in the sun, but in some clouds.
Richard Sibbs (1577–1635)
The One Year Bible readings for today are: Genesis 11:1–13:4; Matthew 5:1-26; Psalm 5:1-12 and Proverbs 1:24-28.
