Psalms Streak: A Daily Devotional in the Psalmsናሙና

God's Heart for Everyone

Every day on the news, we hear stories of tragedy and hardship. We hear of children who need help, families who need homes, and people who are displaced. You might even know people at your school or in your community with very desperate needs. This Psalm gives a beautiful picture of a mighty and powerful God who rules over the Earth and seas and, yet, is never too busy to meet our needs. He is a father to the fatherless, a defender of the widow, and He sets the lonely in families.

Many of us have seen firsthand how God sets the lonely in families through foster care and adoption. We have seen situations where it seemed like a child would have to go back to a very dangerous living situation; but God's people prayed, and, suddenly the judge has changed his ruling. God's attention to detail in caring for each child is so beautiful and so specific. While He is ruling the heavens and the Earth, He knows every small thing about those children and also about you. “He leads the prisoners out with singing”. People who have served time in prison and are being released are deflated and have often lost their sense of identity or feel out of place in the world. They need to know that they are loved and can have a future. This verse says that God leads prisoners out with singing. He rejoices over them! All of us were separated from God by sin, which can also be like a prison. We need to experience new life and be led out of our old ways with singing. This is God's heart for us all! We can rejoice in that.

GO DEEP: Look at verses 5 and 6. Ask God to show you ways to show His love to these people groups. Look at verse 19 - are there any burdens in your life that you need Him to bear today?

BE BOLD: Who needs to hear this? Who could you share it with?