Psalm 28 (NLT)
O LORD, you are my rock of safety.
Please help me; don’t refuse to answer me.
For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die.
Listen to my prayer for mercy as I cry out to you for help, as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.
Don’t drag me away with the wicked–with those who do evil–those who speak friendly words to their neighbors while planning evil in their hearts.
Give them the punishment they so richly deserve!
Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness.
Pay them back for all their evil deeds!
Give them a taste of what they have done to others.
They care nothing for what the LORD has done or for what his hands have made.
So he will tear them down like old buildings, and they will never be rebuilt!
Praise the LORD!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.
The LORD is my strength, my shield from every danger.
I trust in him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
The LORD protects his people and gives victory to his anointed king.
Save your people!
Bless Israel, your special possession!
Lead them like a shepherd, and carry them forever in your arms.
A Theme to Remember:
How vast are the possibilities of prayer! How wide is its reach! What great things are accomplished by this divinely appointed means of grace! It lays its hand on Almighty God and moves Him to do what He would not otherwise do if prayer was not offered. It brings things to pass which would never otherwise occur. The story of prayer is the story of great achievements. Prayer is a wonderful power placed by Almighty God in the hands of His saints, which may be used to accomplish great purposes and to achieve unusual results. (Adapted from E.M. Bounds, The Necessity of Prayer)
Words to Remember:
Is it not wonderful news that salvation lies outside ourselves?
–Martin Luther