So Much Pressure
Background Story: This psalm of praise and declaration was written by David, most likely during his reign as King. David’s path to kingship wasn’t an easy one. From the time that David was anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1-13) to the time he took the throne (2 Samuel 2) was roughly around 15 years. During these years of waiting, David spent much of his time fighting battles, hiding in caves, and fleeing for his life.
Read Psalms 139:1-18
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
Big Idea: God is with you and God is for you.
I work around teens all day long watching them navigate relationships, try out for sports and activities, make or not make the grade, apply for college, and the list just keeps on going. The common thread I see is PRESSURE. Pressure on every side. Pressure from their parents. Pressure from their peers. Pressure from their coaches. Pressure from their own expectations. Will they measure up? Will they get picked? Will they be noticed? Will they be ridiculed? Will they matter?
Oh how I wish I could adequately express God’s heart for you today. Read these verses from Psalms 139 over and over and let them wash over you and overtake your heart.
Remember these truths:
God sees YOU!
God knows YOU!
God formed YOU!
God hears YOU!
God is with YOU!
God is for YOU!
God delights in YOU!
God has plans for YOU!
These truths above are not dependent on your performance or if you get the grade, the date, the outcome, or the touchdown. Rest in Him today and feel released from the pressures you carry. You are loved!
Takeaway Verse:
Song for Today:
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Dig Deeper: Psalm 125:1-2, 1 Corinthians 2:9, Deuteronomy 31:3-6, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 37:23-25, Luke 12:22-31, Philippians 4:11-19
Similar Devotions: My Reflection in the Mirror, Rest for the Soul, Authentic Joy, A New Name, It’s Never Time to Quit, Swimming Upstream, Looking For Water, My Story, The Sustainer, Who I Am, Chosen, Oh My Soul
Devotions4Teens Videos: Where is God in my Trials and Pain?, Becoming More Like Jesus, 3 Tips to Help You Grow Closer to God!, Help Reading Your Bible, Jesus Never Changes
