Year: 2024

Scripture Focus: Psalm 147:1-3
1 Praise the Lord. 
How good it is to sing praises to our God, 
how pleasant and fitting to praise him! 
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem; 
he gathers the exiles of Israel. 
3 He heals the brokenhearted 
and binds up their wounds. 

Student Writers Month is here: The student writers featured from July 15 to August 9 have received free coaching, ministry training, and seminars by special guests in addition to this publishing opportunity, the ability to re-publish their work elsewhere, and a stipend/scholarship for their work. A portion of all donations during these dates will be applied to the students’ stipends/scholarships. Find out more about the students at this link or give a one-time or recurring gift at this link.

Reflection: Great and Mighty and Close
By Doug Hibbard

We shout, “Hallelujah!”

For the Lord our God made the heavens, the earth, the seas, and all that dwells in them! As we look at the wonders of creation, we see the amazing work of God.

We shout, “Hallelujah!”

For in his goodness, the Lord our God feeds the animals, makes grass grow, teaches birds to sing, and causes rain to fall! When we see the abundance of God’s provision and the grace of his providence, we can see that God cares for his creation in ways we cannot comprehend.

We shout, “Hallelujah!”

For the Lord our God numbers the stars, calls them by name, and understands all things beyond limit! We think of all we have yet to learn, all that we cannot understand, and yet we know our God is never baffled, stymied, or confused.

We shout “Hallelujah!”

For the Lord our God frustrates the wicked, casts evil to the ground, and reigns forevermore! We see dictators rise and fall, elected officials rally and disperse, and laws change with the views of the many, but God is stable. He is righteous and true, no matter what the world becomes.

We shout “Hallelujah!”

For the Lord our God is great and mighty, above and beyond all the lowliness of his creation.

And yet, he is not only great and mighty. He also comes close. He turns to the cause of the oppressed. He gives food to the hungry and sets prisoners free, lifting up those who carry great weights and sustaining those who are alone, abandoned, and worthless in the measure of the world.

He is not a god who is distant from those in need. In Jesus’s first sermon, he makes clear that he came specifically to be the one who binds up the broken and sets free the prisoner. (Luke 4:19-19, Isaiah 61:1-2)

When we cannot soar with the eagles or see his limitless provision, he comes to us. When we cannot look down from lofty mountain grandeur and behold his rule and reign, still he is there, lifting us up in our brokenness. He is there, standing for the oppressed. He is there in the darkness that weighs upon us as our years pile atop one another. He is not so lofty with majesty that we are left alone.

And so, whether in victory or defeat, in light or in darkness, we shout “Hallelujah!”

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading
Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel, for he has visited his people, he has set them free, and he has established for us a saving power in the house of his servant David, just as he proclaimed, by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times. — Luke 1.68-70

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.


​Today’s Readings
Jeremiah 2 (Listen 5:54)
Psalms 146-147 (Listen 3:09)

Read more about God’s Not Deaf
The fear that God may ignore your peril, the doubt that your pleas are being offered to a deaf God are not founded in truth.

God’s Not Deaf

Read more about Supporting Our Work
A portion of every donation during Student Writers Month goes toward stipends/scholarships for these students. Donate today.

Supporting our Work

Scripture Focus: Psalm 145.21
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
      Let every creature praise his holy name
      for ever and ever.

From John: We are taking a one-day break from Student Writers Month today and revisiting a post about Psalm 145 from 2019. Today’s reflection is from the conclusion of  Hallowed be Your Name: A collection of prayers from around the world, written by the editor, Tony Cupit. We have often used prayers from this book in our Worldwide Prayer series.

Student Writers will resume tomorrow and run through August 12th. You can still donate during this time to help fund the students’ stipends/scholarships. Find out more about the students at this link or give a one-time or recurring gift at this link.
Reflection: Praying as Music
By Tony Cupit

If music is a universal language, prayer can be similarly described. Prayer is humankind’s universal language of love to God, a song of praise to our Maker, a cry of anguish for our sin, a note of pleading for our needs, an expression of thanksgiving for all God’s wondrous grace. And prayer is a whole lot more. We join as a fellowship of Christ’s followers to lift our hearts in prayer.

And prayer produces a beautiful union, a harmony between God and humanity. Before we begin to sing our song of love to God in prayer, we realize that in an amazing way God is already waiting for us to speak, to listen, to pray. This interaction between God and us, we call prayer. And always this duet is part of a glorious symphony as we join our prayer to God with fellow believers.

All around the world, God’s people sing an anthem of praise to God. Prayers—songs of worship and praise—are offered in this booklet so we can all enjoy heavenly music, duets, ensembles, choirs, congregations, whose music soars heavenward. These become an expression of reverence, of awe and wonder, to our Creator God whose mystery is wonderfully intriguing, to God’s Son whose person is beautifully enchanting and to God’s Holy Spirit whose presence is fiercely challenging and gently reassuring.

Whether we pray as a duet, a trio, a quartet, or a choir, may our worship in prayer be harmonious, melodious, clear and constant—for it was Jesus who taught us to pray, “yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.”

*Excerpt from the conclusion of Hallowed be Your Name: A collection of prayers from around the world, Dr. Tony Cupit, Editor.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer
Let Israel rejoice in its Maker; let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. For the Lord takes pleasure in his people and adorns the poor with victory. — Psalm 149.2, 4

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.


​Today’s Readings
Jeremiah 1 (Listen 3:00)
Psalms 145 (Listen 2:19)

Read more about One Who Can Reach
Our God is never “out of touch.” God’s glory is all the more glorious because he reaches down to the lowest of the fallen.

One Who Can Reach

Read more about Daughters of Saul and Sons of Moses
Do not let daughters of Saul or sons of Moses steal your joy in the lowly king, the humble teacher. Let us exalt him

Daughters of Saul and Sons of Moses—Readers’ Choice

Scripture Focus: Psalm 144.3-5
3 Lord, what are human beings that you care for them,
    mere mortals that you think of them?
4 They are like a breath;
    their days are like a fleeting shadow.
5 Part your heavens, Lord, and come down;
    touch the mountains, so that they smoke.

Student Writers Month is here: The student writers featured from July 15 to August 9 have received free coaching, ministry training, and seminars by special guests in addition to this publishing opportunity, the ability to re-publish their work elsewhere, and a stipend/scholarship for their work. A portion of all donations during these dates will be applied to the students’ stipends/scholarships. Find out more about the students at this link or give a one-time or recurring gift at this link.

Reflection: Bird’s Eye View
By Lark Kelsey

Whenever I fly I like to look out the window just after takeoff. Cars and trucks moving along the road begin to resemble children’s toys as we rise toward the clouds. Everything below becomes smaller and smaller, shrinking to insignificance compared with the immensity of the sky. The change in perspective is an opportunity for humility. Getting a bird’s eye view reminds us just how small we really are. 

David’s wonder in Psalm 144 expresses a similar sentiment. He speaks of God’s power to deliver although he himself is helpless. While God’s nature is eternal, human life is fleeting. God is so far above that David marvels at why God thinks of humans at all.

David understands he is incapable of saving himself and needs rescue from someone on high. Whether by parting the heavens, touching the mountains, or sending forth lightning, David asks God to reach down and save him from his enemies. David compares his plight to drowning in mighty waters, looking for God to draw him up and out of the waves.

Like David, we need intervention. In a broken world, we often struggle to rise above the waves of life’s difficulties, whether caused by actual enemies or everyday obstacles. We are weighed down with the cares of this life and often feel powerless to change our circumstances. 

Amazingly, we do not have a God who merely reaches down to lift us up but one who came down himself. He took on our form, our constraints, and lowered himself to our state to save us. Although God is so far beyond us, he does not treat our difficulties as trivial. 

Like David, God will not save us from every trial or give us victory in every battle. Yet we can find comfort in God’s presence in the midst of all our problems. David calls God “My loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge” and so can we. (Psalm 144.2).

If we take a bird’s eye view of our problems, how do they compare to God’s power? No matter how insignificant our problems may seem from 35,000 feet, they are as important to God as if he was sitting on the couch with us. How can we find refuge in God’s presence with us today as we wait for relief?

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
Let me hear of your loving-kindness in the morning, for I put my trust in you; show me the road that I must walk, for I lift up my soul to you. — Psalm 143.8

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.


​Today’s Readings
Isaiah 66 (Listen 5:20)
Psalms 144 (Listen 1:56)

Read more about A God Who Celebrates
O God, we are unworthy creatures who rejoice that you rejoice over us.

A God Who Celebrates

Read more about He Stoops to Raise
He strips himself.
He lays aside
His Heaven
His throne
His clothes
His life

He Stoops to Raise

Scripture Focus: Psalm 142.1-2
1 I cry out to the Lord with my voice; 
   With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.
2 I pour out my complaint before Him; 
    I declare before Him my trouble. 

Student Writers Month is here: The student writers featured from July 15 to August 9 have received free coaching, ministry training, and seminars by special guests in addition to this publishing opportunity, the ability to re-publish their work elsewhere, and a stipend/scholarship for their work. A portion of all donations during these dates will be applied to the students’ stipends/scholarships. Find out more about the students at this link or give a one-time or recurring gift at this link.

Reflection: Spiritual Caves 
By Vicente Quiñones-Aponte

Psalm headings convey an idea of what the psalm is about. In the case of Psalms 142 and 143, these headings indicate that David was praying in a cave and asking God for guidance and deliverance. For seven years, he was evading and hiding from King Saul. He did not find rest for his soul and opened his heart to the Lord in supplication. For David, in his anxiety, the cave was a place of temporary relief, but also represents the end of one’s possibilities of self-redemption.

As David realizes his condition, he turns to God in supplication and expresses his desperation: “Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief” (Ps 143.1)  and “I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble” (Ps 142.1-2).

Like David, most of us have experienced anxiety, despair, loneliness, and lack of rest for our inner being. These might represent an entrance to a “spiritual cave.” At this point, we are at the cave opening but still have some hope for a spontaneous solution. Inside the cave the hope is gone, and it feels like life is over.

For David, the cave was a place of testing. The Lord responded to David by placing his enemy, King Saul, at his disposal, seeming to say, “Do you want to end your problem here and solve it yourself, or would you wait a little longer and trust me?” David passed the test, realizing that if he killed Saul, he would not need to hide anymore; by doing this, he would distrust God.

The cave might represent depression, addictions, deep frustration, or a place of temporal refuge. But when you enter the cave, you do not know how to come out. But God is working for us all the time. Jesus said: “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working” (John 5.17).

Do you want to come out of your cave? Jesus can help you right now!

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high, but stoops to behold the heavens and the earth. — Psalm 113.5

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.


​Today’s Readings
Isaiah 65 (Listen 5:00)
Psalms 142-143 (Listen 2:35)

Read more about Prayer From the Cave
“Caves make good closets for prayer; their gloom and solitude are helpful…” — Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Prayer From the Cave :: Readers’ Choice

Read more about Supporting Our Work
Donations during Student Writers Month help our students. Support ad-free content that brings biblical devotionals to inboxes across the world.

Supporting our Work

Scripture Focus: Psalm 137.1
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept 
when we remembered Zion.

Psalm 138.6-8
6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; 
though lofty, he sees them from afar. 
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, 
you preserve my life. 
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; 
with your right hand you save me. 
8 The Lord will vindicate me; 
your love, Lord, endures forever— 
do not abandon the works of your hands.

Student Writers Month is here: The student writers featured from July 15 to August 9 have received free coaching, ministry training, and seminars by special guests in addition to this publishing opportunity, the ability to re-publish their work elsewhere, and a stipend/scholarship for their work. A portion of all donations during these dates will be applied to the students’ stipends/scholarships. Find out more about the students at this link or give a one-time or recurring gift at this link.

Reflection: Out of Place Praise
By Rachel Schuck

Have you ever been far away from home, yearning to be surrounded by the familiar people and places you love? Life loses some of its sparkle in the grueling years of waiting to return. Even beloved hobbies and means of expression, such as music, fall out of practice at the seat of dejection. Psalm 137 is a sorrowful hymn that expresses the Jews’ longing for Jerusalem during the Babylonian exile.

Psalm 137 has inspired many songs across genres and cultures that give voice to the sorrow and aching of laboring as strangers in a foreign land. Listen to Marion William’s “Mean Old World” as an example.

As God’s sons and daughters living in a broken world, we experience daily encounters with our out-of-placeness. (Hebrews 13.14-15; 1 Chronicles 29.15; Psalms 119:19; Matthew 5.13-16) However, Jesus’s sacrifice provides a wholeness beyond our grasp. Our yearning for this wholeness comes from an understanding of the complete righteousness of God and the ways our experiences on this earth fall short (Revelation 21.5; Matthew 5.17).

Paul expresses this yearning poignantly at the end of his first letter to the Corinthian church as he signs “Maranatha,” meaning “the Lord comes,” or more imperatively, “Come, Lord!” (1 Corinthians 16.21-24).

From Neo-Babylonian exile, to the early Church, to the trials of today, we are each implicated in the expansive biblical narrative of God’s plan for creation. We are characters in God’s story of salvation that continually points to the cross. It is right to grieve separation from and yearn to be united with God. So how do we respond in a productive way to this grief and yearning?The Lord, through David’s song of praise in Psalm 138, provides an answer: worship and song! David voices the reason for the hope that we have—hope that transcends our status as outsiders in this broken world.

God is unswervingly loving, faithful, and true to his word. He answers our cries for deliverance and empowers us in his name. His glory is worthy of praise from his children and their enemies alike. While it is important to grieve our lostness, it is even more powerful to praise God in the midst of our exile and worship despite it all. How will you turn your cries of out-of-placeness into songs of praise?

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
But as for me, I am poor and needy; come to me speedily, O God. — Psalm 70.5

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.


​Today’s Readings
Isaiah 62 (Listen 2:09)
Psalms 137-138 (Listen 2:13)

​This Weekend’s Readings
Isaiah 63 (Listen 3:25), Psalms 139 (Listen 2:26)
Isaiah 64 (Listen 2:01), Psalms 140-141 (Listen 2:44)

Read more about An Undefiled Heart
I’ve never heard of an “Ezekiel fast” but “Daniel fasts” have massive popularity…we’d prefer Daniel’s struggle to Ezekiel’s.

An Undefiled Heart

Read more about Resisting in Faith
Whatever we would resist, and whatever we would wish to change in our culture, we cannot do it using the worldly strategies that surround us.

Resisting in Faith