March 25th - Yielding

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore, my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.”

(Psalm 28:7)

This verse makes an excellent framework for prayer. If we start by recognizing that He alone is our strength and shield, we can more willingly yield our spirit to His control to be used for His purposes. We can more readily accept that His ways are higher than our ways. We can more easily focus our hearts on having Him alone be our heart’s desire.

It’s so natural for us to have the focus on ourselves isn’t it? After all, our individual minds are being carried around inside our individual bodies 24-7. We are inclined to think about ourselves all the time, constantly checking in on ourselves. “How do I feel? Am I hungry or thirsty? Am I too hot or too cold? Do I feel loved, appreciated, valued?” We sometimes think that only after we check all the boxes that all is fine in our world, then we might have some time left over to give to God or to others.

In contrast, this Psalm directs us to speak truth to our self, who naturally is selfish and self-centered. The truth reminds our self that we are not our own strength; we are not our own shield. We are wise to yield our spirits to Him alone, to trust in Him alone. We can turn our focus from ourselves and make Him and His kingdom the focus of our hearts. Then, and only then, can our hearts be emptied of self and be filled with His joy and love. And then we will long to praise and worship Him alone.

Today, let’s bow in humble worship to the King of Kings. May we rededicate our lives for His use, asking Him to remove the dross from the silver so we can be useful vessels for Him in His kingdom plans and purposes.

Today’s Action:

Let’s read Proverbs 25 together, submitting to His refining fire, so we can be used to bring more honor and glory to Him.

“Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel.”

(Proverbs 25:4) NIV