Author: Lori Casto

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thoughts afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Psalm 139:1-18

I find this scripture so comforting. My father, God, knows everything about me. He knows my thoughts before I do. He knows where I am, now and in the future. He goes before me. I can’t hide from Him. He’s at the end of my day before I get there. He was with me at my beginning, and He will guide me through till my end. He’s here to pick me up when I fall and celebrates my successes.

You never have to feel like you’re alone. If Jesus is Lord of your life, you always have His presence, guidance, and protection. He’s here to comfort, celebrate, and be your hope. There is so much to discover through God’s word. Taking time to read the Bible and pray each day will keep you connected to The One who knows you best and loves you most.

How will you devote2day?

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Psalm 121

God is awake all the time- even at 3 in the morning. He is our helper. He is our keeper. He is our protecter. Everything in existence was made by God. If He can put the sun, moon, and stars in place, He can certainly preserve and take care of you and me. So why are you worried? Why do you fear? What do you need to let go of and give to God? He wants to help. Let Him.

How will  you devote2day?

When life brings you challenges, don’t forget God’s “benefit package.”

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103: 1-5

The more I spend time with God through prayer or reading His Word, the more I see Him at work in my life. I am aware of his “benefits” and thankful for His mercy, forgiveness and protection.

1-Jehovah Rohi – The Lord my shepherd Psalm 23:1

2 – Jehovah Jireh – The Lord my provider Genesis 22:14

3 – Jehovah Rapha – The Lord my healer Exodus 15:26

4 – Jehovah Shalom – The Lord my peace Judges 6:24

5 – Jehovah Nissi – The Lord my banner Exodus 17:15

6 – Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord my righteousness Jeremiah 23:6

7 – Jehovah Shammah – The Lord is there for me Ezekiel 48:35

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night, Psalm 92:1-2

 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand. Psalm 95:1-7

• Worship
• Sing Praise
• Give Thanks
• Kneel, bow down before Him
• Shout Joyfully
• Declare who He is & what He’s done in our lives

I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me, (leaned)
And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40:1-3

• Patiently- without complaining, with tolerance, good natured

This is one of my 3 favorite verses in Psalms. I always try to imagine an actual pit. My mind’s eye sees a dark hole with no light. The pit is surrounded by very wet clay which doesn’t allow for traction. The more I try to get out of the pit, the more difficult it becomes. In fact, if I move at all, I end up sinking deeper into the pit. Can you imagine the smell of wet clay & rot? I would be tempted to panic. After all, there is no light and no way out. I would be forced to wait. There are no solutions. Waiting is all you or I can do. If we are forced to wait, we may not be very patient, tolerant, or good natured.

This scripture is such a great reminder that God can do His greatest work in us when we are put in a position where we can’t do anything at all. We are forced to put complete reliance on our heavenly Father. Let’s face it. We all will find ourselves in a pit at some point. However, we have a God who can get us out of the pit, place us on firm ground, and establish our steps!

David went from pit to praise. Your new song is coming.