Daily Devotions
Monday, June 2, 2025
Psalm 143:7-8 – Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not Your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.
This is a desperate, down-to-the-last-minute kind of prayer. Whatever the circumstances might have been that prompted this plea, the psalmist needs help fast! He has nowhere else to go. There is no one else to whom he can turn. No family, no friends, not even an entire army can help him. He is beyond earthly aid and only the Lord can help now. It is a prayer like that of the disciple Peter who, as he walked on the Sea of Galilee, saw the threatening waves and began to sink. Peter cried out to the only help available to him: “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30b).
We know a lot about this kind of prayer because we have experience in praying this way. We offer up similar petitions in many different circumstances, in each situation feeling alone and at the end of our patience and abilities. Circumstances may involve illness or grief, family strife or financial loss. There are no answers, and there is nowhere else to turn. With Peter we cry out in prayer: “Lord, save me!” Yet we may wonder if God is even listening. This is not a good time for Him to remain silent and hide His face from us. It is not a good time for a test of faith.
Yet in all of these circumstances, the Lord is present. He has not turned away. The psalmist is confident, even in the midst of his trouble, that his prayer is heard. He waits for the good news: “Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust.” We do not have to wait for the good news. We have already seen and heard it at the cross and empty tomb of Jesus. Our Savior cried out from the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34b). For the sake of our salvation, God turned His face away, abandoning His Son to suffering and death. Because He turned from His Son, He will never look away from us. On the first Easter morning, the good news of God’s steadfast love was announced at the empty tomb: Jesus has risen from the dead!
We know and believe the good news, and we have confidence as we pray. Whatever our circumstances and however desperate we may be, God’s face of favor and blessing is always turned toward us. He hears our prayers, and He will answer according to His will. As He did with His disciple Peter, the Lord will reach down to lift us up. He will calm our fears with His peace, shield us with His steadfast love, and lead us in the way we should go.
WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, comfort me with Your steadfast love and fill me with Your peace. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
- When do you most often pray, in good times or bad times?
- Why is it important to pray in the morning, before we rush into our day?
- What types of life changes can you make to open up a time to pray more consistently?