Portent

DEVOTION

PSALMS

PORTENT

Ps 71:5-8

5 For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. 6 From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. 7 I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. 8 My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.

NIV

And you always will be our hope. There is no other in whom we can hope. Of course we know that our salvation is completely in your hands, but what about our daily lives? The psalmist is assured that you formed him in his mother’s womb, you brought him forth from the womb. This could only imply that each and every day of our lives you are aware of and actively working in. From the time of our birth, even before our birth you were there in every day of our formation and from our first breath. You knew we would come to you, although you gave us the right to choose. But because you are not restricted by time, you knew from the beginning we would come to you and you watched over us, protected us, so that we would live to the day in which we made that choice to accept your provision for our salvation, Jesus. We will forever praise you for all that you have done in our lives even before we knew you. There were so many days we could have been lost forever, near death experiences which you kept us and watched over us although we were still living in sin. You knew that day was coming when we would accept Jesus and start a new life serving you with all our heart. You knew how you would use us to advance your kingdom. You knew how you would use us as your voice in the world. You made us a portent to many, meaning you made us a wonder, a sign, a miracle, as a special display of your power. Although you have done that in our life, it's you who are our strong refuge. No matter how much you display your power in our life, we will always admit you are our strong refuge. Our mouth will always be filled with praise for you. We will never stop declaring your splendor all day long. That is from the moment we wake till the moment sleep returns. There is never a moment in our day that we are not filled with praise for you, and that we never stop declaring your splendor. This is always in our heart and should also always be on our lips. It is you who have made us this portent for your glory.