SWHW Bible Reading Plan: October 2021Sample

Top Takeaway from Alonda Tanner:

The last few chapters of the Psalms introduce a refreshing rhythm for the Christian life and how we should go about it. There's a tension we encounter in life that we don't always like to talk about; an ongoing battle that we sometimes forget we are in until things get heated and the battle gets personal.

That's where today's Bible reading picks up (Psalms 142 and 143); in a desperate moment in a heated battle. This was a literal experience for David. He was running for his life, seeking an escape from people who were set on destroying him. In his desperation, he cries out to God. 

“I cried out to You, Lord: I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Give your attention to my cry for I have been brought very low; rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.” Psalm 142:5-6

Somewhere between his panic and the resolve, comes Psalm 144. My Bible titles this Psalm, “A Song to the Lord Who Preserves and Prospers His People.” 

In Psalm 142 and 143, David is saying, “God, here is my problem.”   Psalm 144 is David saying, “Hey problems, meet my God.” 

Who is his God? 

The One who trains his hands for war and his fingers for battle (Psalm 144:1).
His loving kindness, fortress, high tower, and deliverer (see Psalm 144:2).
The One who is worthy of blessing even in trials; which leads us into the last of the Psalms. 

Psalms 145 through 150 are composed almost entirely of praise, which is a phenomenal way to end the book of Psalms if you ask me. It also brings us to the end of the rhythm that so perfectly describes the day-to-day Christian life; the appeal, the realization, and the praise. 

An appeal is a legal term that describes the process of bringing a decision to a judge or high court with a request to reverse the decision. I don't know if David or any of the other authors of Psalms ever had to appeal before a human court, but within the Psalms, you'll find its authors consistently appealed to God. They brought the unjust judgments before Him time after time seeking resolve and reversal. Each time they did, they were met with a game-changing realization. 

The hope that they needed, they already had access to. The solution they sought, God was already making provision for. The problems they were facing, God was bigger. And the promises God gave them, those still stood. 

These realizations led them to praise. When they recalled who God was, because of His faithfulness, they could anticipate the victory and praise God for it even before it happened. The timeline didn't matter. Their circumstances didn't sway them. They just KNEW that God was going to respond to their appeal.

Do you have that kind of confidence in God? How often do you allow yourself to go through this rhythm? Do you ever feel tempted to hold off on the praise because you're unsure about God's willingness to come through? 

Today I want to challenge you to let your praise flow in anticipation of God's goodness being made evident to you in your life here and now. It might feel silly, celebrating and praising when it seems like there's little to celebrate or praise, but isn't that what faith is anyway? “...the certainty of things hoped for and proof of things not seen” (see Hebrews 11:1 NASB). Let's put our faith to work and start praising God for all the things He's done, and equally as important, the things yet to come. 

Heavenly Father,
We come to You today, grateful that You hear our cries and our prayers. We realize that You hold the solutions to every trial we face in our lives. You ask us to come to You with our burdens. Starting today, when we bring burdens to You, we're making the choice to trust in Your perfect way and perfect timing. We look forward to the ways You choose to reveal Yourself, Your grace, and Your goodness in the situations we're facing.  And we choose to praise You now – knowing that You have not abandoned us and that Your faithfulness stands.  In Jesus' name, Amen.