Psalms Streak: A Daily Devotional in the PsalmsSample

At the End of the Day

David had a pretty rough time there for a while. The king, Saul, was in hot pursuit of him, asking David's own people to catch him and make him pay for being awesome. Really though... that was basically David's crime, right? He was young, strong, smart, musical, poetic, a faithful warrior, and a good friend to Saul's son. Saul was in hot and vengeful pursuit because David was awesome and Saul was jealous. David has some dark and sad moments throughout the Psalms, but the resounding message is his movement from whatever he is feeling in the moment to praise, thankfulness, and trust.

David didn't always have it figured out. He sinned and made poor choices constantly throughout his life, but he was able to stay close to God because of the relationship they had and his pursuit of God's goodness. In this Psalm, he describes the evil of those out to get him but ends with praise. Read verses 16-17 again: "But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.”

David knew that God had enough strength to get him through the terrible things happening to him. He knew God was a fortress, a place for him to hide when he wasn't sure what else to do. He chose to praise God when things were tough, and it strengthened his relationship with his heavenly Father.

GO DEEP: How can you, like David, end each day with praise and thankfulness, regardless of how your day goes?

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