Inspiration from the Daily Psalm

from Psalm 35

Excerpt

Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!

Daily Prayer

Lord, I always marvel at this verse. It's not that I can't understand the feeling behind it. I can, indeed. Sometimes it does seem as if You're asleep. In my head I know You hear my prayers. But in my heart I feel as if You dozed off along the way. No, what shocks me about this part of Psalm 35 is its boldness. Who are we to tell You to wake up?!? Yet You have given us this verse to teach us, to invite us to be fully honest with You, even at the risk of calling on you to wake up. What a wonder! What proof that You want, not some neat, tidy, safe relationship with us, but a genuine, messy, honest, risky one. Thank You, gracious God!

Postscript

This verse was one that jarred me when I first prayed through the Psalms. It continues to shake me up every time I read it. It was also a key verse that ultimately led me to write my book on praying the Psalms, No Holds Barred.

The Daily Psalm

The Daily Psalm is my devotional website. Each day I put up a psalm, a prayer based on that psalm, and some additional input, like a brief commentary or a quotation. I use material from The Daily Psalm on markdroberts.com for Sunday inspiration.