Encouragement from Lamentment

This week, we’ll be pausing our Red Sea Rules devotions. I’m so thankful for Bill, who brought us a word yesterday while I was traveling. These scriptures are from the Daily Office or The Book of Common Prayer (BCP). You might have heard me say before that I use the Daily Office for my devotions. If you’ve never looked at the lectionary before, the easiest way to do so is through a website because the physical book can be very confusing. I use an app called BCP: Daily Office Readings for iOS and Android. It’s straightforward, as you can see from the picture below.

The Daily Office is what The Book of Common Prayer calls the devotional readings. There is a 2-year plan, with a morning Psalm and an Evening Psalm, Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel reading daily. Reflect with me on these words from today's Psalm:

“O God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long. I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me. They are always twisting what I say; they spend their days plotting to harm me.” –Psalms 56:1-2, 5 NLT

One of the reasons I love the Psalms so much is because of the rawness in their words. The Psalmist wrote them to worship God through human experience. Take this one, for example. It is about a person lamenting that it is them against the world. But it isn’t just the writer on his own. He has God on his side.

With the Daily Office only having 150 Psalms to work with, and you read 2 a day, you read them a fair number of times. Sometimes I feel like the writer when I’ve read this one. I have felt spiritually or emotionally under attack. It was a comfort to know I am not alone, just as he writes. Other times, I read it and do not feel I have specific foes, and I can praise God that he has carried me through the hard times from the last time I read it.

Pause now and read Psalm 56 in your Bible, on your phone, or click here.