Steadfast Through PsalmsSample

The Gift of Aloneness

David was given a gift of aloneness. I realize aloneness may not seem like a gift, but God gave him aloneness so that He could set David apart. Because of his time alone as a shepherd, David had quality time to talk to God.

Seventy-three psalms are attributed to David. If he had this many prayers not just written down but recorded to be read or sung publicly, imagine how many he must have penned as a shepherd alone under the stars.

Where do you find yourself today? How is God giving you aloneness so that you can choose Him? Or where do you need to slow down and create some space for God?

David used his time to make lists of assurances about who God is. He strengthened his faith by setting his heart on what was true. According to the book of Hebrews, Moses did this too: “He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (11:27). He set his heart on God.

Read Psalm 65 with these ideas in your heart. Those lists of assurances in the Psalms still encourage us, generations later. David understood that God set up the morning and the evening as the bookends of his day. A reminder as the sun rises and as it sets that God holds time in His hands.

I realize how hard it can be to try to maintain focus on God. It takes practice because our days get cloudy fast, which makes it hard to see God at work. Corrie ten Boom said, “Faith is like radar that sees through the fog—the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see.”

I can sit with God in the morning when it’s quiet and still before the chaos starts, but then the fog of busyness rolls in and makes it harder to see. But the more I fix my eyes on God, the more visible God becomes in my day.

God, thank You that You are a God who hears our prayer. Thank You for the gift of aloneness that allows me to focus on You. When the fog rolls in, help me see You through all the mundane and overwhelming circumstances of today. In Jesus’ name, amen.