When The Calmness Comes

This morning I had some extra time before leaving for work and so I picked up my Bible to read. Having a bit of a hard time getting my thoughts together I decided to look at the Psalms and just see what I could find. I would read a verse or two and decide that I wasn't in the right Psalm yet...what I was reading just wasn't really hitting me like I wanted it two. They all had been good but just not the right one. Then I hit on Psalm 86.

Psalm 86:1-7

¹ Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer;
    answer me, for I need your help.
² Protect me, for I am devoted to you.
    Save me, for I serve you and trust you.
    You are my God.
³ Be merciful to me, O Lord,
    for I am calling on you constantly.
⁴ Give me happiness, O Lord,
    for I give myself to you.
⁵ O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive,
    so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.
⁶ Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord;
    hear my urgent cry.
⁷ I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble,
    and you will answer me.

⁸ No pagan god is like you, O Lord.
    None can do what you do!
⁹ All the nations you made
    will come and bow before you, Lord;
    they will praise your holy name.
¹⁰ For you are great and perform wonderful deeds.
    You alone are God.

¹¹ Teach me your ways, O Lord,
    that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
    so that I may honor you.
¹² With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.
    I will give glory to your name forever,
¹³ for your love for me is very great.
    You have rescued me from the depths of death.

¹⁴ O God, insolent people rise up against me;
    a violent gang is trying to kill me.
    You mean nothing to them.
¹⁵ But you, O Lord,
    are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
    and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
¹⁶ Look down and have mercy on me.
    Give your strength to your servant;
    save me, the son of your servant.
¹⁷ Send me a sign of your favor.
    Then those who hate me will be put to shame,
    for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.

I just really like this Psalm and this morning...it "hit" me just the way I needed.

Tonight I sat down to read and found that I am still having a hard time concentrating on much of anything. Sometimes it's just hard to completely wrap your mind around what goes on in life. So I just sent up a short little prayer and asked that the Lord just help me to find the right thing to read. He did. something I noticed through all of this is that when I need "help" I tend to go to the Psalms.

 

Psalm 62:5-8

⁵ Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
    for my hope is in him.
⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress where I will not be shaken.
⁷ My victory and honor come from God alone.
    He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
⁸ O my people, trust in him at all times.
    Pour out your heart to him,
    for God is our refuge.

I'm finding that more and more this is what I must do. Pray and just wait quietly before Him. That's when the calmness finally comes.