During 2025, Peachtree Church is focusing on the Book of Psalms with a series called Dwell, through which we seek to deepen our conversation with God and open ourselves to hearing his response. The practice of praying three times each day will unite the voices of our hearts and souls as we seek the day when we will see the full realization of the Kingdom of God, promised in Revelation 21:3: “…Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
We will email devotionals twice weekly with Monday’s providing an overview of the Psalm as a whole, and Wednesday’s focused on that week’s Daily Dwell.
I cry aloud to the Lord;
I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.
I pour out before him my complaint;
before him I tell my trouble.When my spirit grows faint within me,
it is you who watch over my way.
In the path where I walk
people have hidden a snare for me.
Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;
no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;
no one cares for my life.I cry to you, Lord;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”Listen to my cry,
Psalm 142:1-7
for I am in desperate need;
rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.
Set me free from my prison,
that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will gather about me
because of your goodness to me.
Devotional
On Sunday, I shared the story of visiting Robben Island off the coast of South Africa—the notorious prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years. We had the rare privilege of being guided by a man who had served five years there alongside Mandela. He described his time working in the rock quarry, cut off from those he loved. It would have been easy for his spirit to be broken in that environment. Henri Nouwen once said that if he were ever sent to prison, he prayed they would let him keep the Psalms with him, because they would “keep my spirit alive…”
David wrote, “When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way.” Sometimes the circumstances of our lives leave us feeling desperate—as though we can’t go on. Many of us are weighed down by grief, relational struggles, health challenges, or the tragedies unfolding in our world. We may feel as if our spirit is breaking under the weight of it all.
But the Psalms remind us that it is in moments like these that we can cry out to God—and He hears us. They remind us that God is faithful and that he leads us from darkness into light. He rescues us with purpose. David asked for rescue not only for his own relief, but so that he could praise God—and so that others would see God’s goodness.
When we feel overwhelmed by grief, struggles, or the brokenness of the world, David’s words of lament remind us that God watches over us and hears our cries. Even in the darkest caves in our lives, God is faithful to lead us into the light and rescue us—not just for our own relief, but so that we might praise Him and reveal His goodness to others through our stories.
For Reflection
- What are you facing this week that makes you want to cry out to God?
- When have you felt rescued by God?
- Do others see God’s goodness through your life?
Prayer
Lord, we thank you for these words of David that remind us that we can cry out to you with whatever is troubling us in this life. Lord, in our desperation remind us of your mercy and grace. Help us to see you move in our lives in this week ahead. May that movement be a blessing to those we encounter along the way. Amen.
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Devotionals