What have you seen God do this week?

FRIDAY QUIET TIME

It’s Friday. Let’s focus on gratitude today. Let’s start by reading Psalm 97:1–12 (NLT)

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¹ The Lord is king!
Let the earth rejoice!
Let the farthest coastlands be glad.
² Dark clouds surround him.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³ Fire spreads ahead of him
and burns up all his foes.
⁴ His lightning flashes out across the world.
The earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
every nation sees his glory.
⁷ Those who worship idols are disgraced—
all who brag about their worthless gods—
for every god must bow to him.
⁸ Jerusalem has heard and rejoiced,
and all the towns of Judah are glad
because of your justice, O Lord!
⁹ For you, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
¹⁰ You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He protects the lives of his godly people
and rescues them from the power of the wicked.
¹¹ Light shines on the godly,
and joy on those whose hearts are right.
¹² May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord
and praise his holy name!

What are 3 things you are grateful for today? (They can big or small.)

What are 1 or 2 big ideas you have learned this week? Write a few sentences about them.

THURSDAY QUIET TIME

Today is our last full day of camp. Let’s make sure today counts — it’ll be a lot of fun!

Scripture – Let’s take a look at Psalm 63.

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A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah.
¹ O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.
² I have seen you in your sanctuary
and gazed upon your power and glory.
³ Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!
⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
⁵ You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
I will praise you with songs of joy.
⁶ I lie awake thinking of you,
meditating on you through the night.
⁷ Because you are my helper,
I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ I cling to you;
your strong right hand holds me securely.
⁹ But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.
They will go down into the depths of the earth.
¹⁰ They will die by the sword
and become the food of jackals.
¹¹ But the king will rejoice in God.
All who swear to tell the truth will praise him,
while liars will be silenced.

Observe

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When David wrote this, enemies were out to destroy both his life and reputation. They spread rumors about him and tried to kill him. David’s forced into hiding in the desert. Though David lacked water and protection, he uses these needs to reflect on his more desperate need for God. His body pants for lack of water, but his eyes scan the wasteland for any sign of his Lord (Psalm 63:1). He knows God can quench his thirst better than any spring.

In his longing, he remembers the times when he saw God’s glory and power (Psalm 63:2). He saw God fight on his for him in battle. And he experienced God’s blessing and presence when God’s ark was stationed in his city (2 Samuel 5:24, 6:13-14). Thoughts of God fill David’s mind even in the late hours of night (Psalm 63:6). To him, God is not only a strong protector, but a beautiful lover. God’s love is better than life (Psalm 63:3). God can satisfy him with his presence. David is confident that he will spend all his life praising the generous hospitality of the God who satisfies him so fully (Psalm 63:4-5). 

No matter his circumstances, David does not try protect himself. God has always helped him when he’s needed it. And he trusts God to continue to shelter him from desert heat and hide him from his enemy eyes (Psalm 63:7-8).

David knows God will not let him stay on the run forever. He knows God will soon silence the lies of the enemy.

Apply

Everybody goes through hard things in life. What is something you can do to remind yourself of God’s goodness and faithfulness to you in the midst of difficult circumstances?

David mentions that he meditates on God’s word. Do you have a favorite Bible story or verse?

Pray

“Dear God, thank you that you are good and faithful no matter what I’m going through. Please help me to never lose sight of the fact that you are always for me and working everything together for my good (Romans 8:28).”