Psalms Streak: A Daily Devotional in the PsalmsSample

The Pressure’s Off

Sometimes we can confuse what God wants from us and what He needs from us. We have commandments to follow and rules to obey, not to mention cultural understandings and family values. God says to honour our mums and dads, and that alone can pile on mountains of responsibilities. On top of all of that is this calling to be LIKE Jesus…talk about pressure! What can we possibly offer God?! How can our offering ever be good enough if we can't even keep up with all of our responsibilities on earth?

Take a deep breath and read verses 12-15 again. Here it is in an easy-to-understand translation: "Even if I did become hungry, I wouldn't tell you. All the world belongs to me, and everything that is in it. Do I eat the meat of bulls? No! Do I drink the blood of goats? No!" (Side note...the Israelites were still making animal sacrifices to Him back then...God isn't just dishing about His food preferences...He is saying He doesn't survive off the blood and meat of the sacrifice.) "Say 'thank you' to me as your offering. Do whatever you have promised to do for Me, the Most High God. Pray to Me when you are in trouble. Then I will rescue you, and you will praise Me.”

The Father wants a relationship with YOU more than He needs your sacrifices and offerings. He wants you to worship Him and thank Him and ask Him for help when you need it. That should take a huge pressure off of your shoulders! Yes, we still need to try to follow His commands and try to be like Jesus! But try to focus less on what you can do for God and more on how you can have a relationship with Him.

GO DEEP: Make a list of some of the pressures you face trying to follow God's commands. Now, make a list of five things God wants from you. How do the lists compare? How can you focus on having a relationship with God over "doing" things for God?

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