Ready:
“But I will sing of your strength and will joyfully proclaim your faithful love in the morning. For you have been a stronghold for me, a refuge in my day of trouble.” —Psalm 59:16
Set:
One afternoon, I spent some time with my local softball team as a storm was rolling in. The girls were in the dugout, yelling their cheers and chants at the top of their lungs, beating on ball buckets, laughing and hoping they’d be able to finish their game before the storm forced the game to stop. The lightning siren eventually went off, and the game ended. Later when I was choir practice, as we sang hymns, the rain slammed against the stained-glass windows, the thunder shook the walls and the lightning lit up the dark sky outside.
We kept on singing and the Lord reminded me that this is what it looks like to trust in Him. To keep singing even when the rain comes. The girls on the team continued to cheer regardless of the storm rolling in. That actually made them cheer harder. They wanted to get as many outs and as many runs as they could in time to beat the other team.
Worship helps us win. It gives us victory. It might not be a softball win or even a physical win or success, but it brings a soul win. It is how we overcome the storms and the days of trouble.
Softball teams don’t sit on the bench in silence to rally the team. No. They get up on the fence, and they yell, cheer, fight and believe in the team. Their fight and belief come through their words and their actions. When we choose to sing of His strength and joyfully proclaim His faithful love in our days of trouble, we are doing the same thing.
As David was writing this psalm, he was in the middle of a big storm. King Saul sent messengers to kill David. David wrote this psalm as a plea and prayer to the Lord as he began a long season of living as a fugitive. The fact that David chose to sing of God’s strength and joyfully proclaim God’s faithful love in the morning showed he believed he would make it through as the storm rolled in.
Go:
What storm is rolling through your life right now?
How will you respond considering the scripture and teaching today?
Workout:
Overtime:
“Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for hearing me. Thank You for hearing my voice as I call to You in my time of distress. I pray my cries and prayers to You become louder than the voice of the enemy or the howling of any storm that might roll into my life. You are faithful in Your love, and I praise You for giving me the strength to believe in You and run to You as my stronghold and refuge. Thank You for Your love.”