Psalm 127, verse 1, proclaims that the Lord builds houses. Praise God that he labors and works on our behalf, for our good and for his glory.

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1 Praying Psalm 7 Release Date: November 9, 08 (This week s readings from Sunday to Saturday: Psalm 7) Psalm 7 (ESV) Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one s youth. 5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. Adoration Psalm 7, verse, proclaims that the Lord builds houses. Praise God that he labors and works on our behalf, for our good and for his glory. Verse also declares that the Lord watches over cities. Yes, our powerful God displays his sovereign care for his people by watching over us at all times, even through the watches of the night. Praise God in your own words for his power and care for his people. In verse the Psalmist tells us that the Lord gives his beloved sleep. A peaceful sleep is a tangible statement that our whole body is at rest, as a demonstration of our faith, trust, and hope in God s abilities and not our own. Sleep is the ultimate form of rest and the Lord s beloved

2 sleep because God literally takes care of everything. We have the privilege of entering into the rest that God provides because we trust the work of his hand. Psalm 7 showcases God s character as giver and provider. Praise God that he gives to his people generously and faithfully provides for us all. God, Hebrews reminds us that it is from your great works of creation that you rested. Your work was finished even from the foundation of the world. It is that rest, O Lord, you have invited us into, because of the finished work of Christ. We do not have to work for righteousness. We do not have to stay up and worry about anything. You give us rest, and it is found in you because of the great works which you have done. God, you sit on the throne, and nothing happens outside of your knowledge or control. Your rest is sweet and the sleep you give us is precious. You take care of even the small details of our lives that we might run to your rest. Confession Psalm 7, verse, says, Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. In your own words, confess out loud to God ways that you have been guilty of eating the bread of anxious toil. Repent of how you ve labored in vain, in your own strength, and disconnected from the strength of the Lord. [Pray for 0 seconds.] Psalm 7, verse, also says, Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. Do we trust that God is watching over us day and night? Repent of any area of your life where you struggle to trust that the Lord is watching over you. Confess ways you rise up early and go late to rest out of fear, worry, or anxiety. [Pray for 0 seconds.] God, when we stay up and worry, or when we try to build our homes without you as our foundation, we are displaying that we do not need you. We are wrong for not trusting you or reflecting on your goodness, both past and present. We are wrong for placing faith in ourselves. God, you alone are everlasting, and our lives are but vapors. We confess that our plans are not better than your plans. Father, we turn from trusting in ourselves and desperately need your finished work on the cross to save us from fickle unbelief. You are the vine and we are the See Heb :. See Jas :.

3 branches. We cannot do anything good or God-glorifying apart from you. Let us abide in you, and let your Word abide in us. Thanksgiving God gives us several things to be thankful for in this passage. First, as we have alluded to, he gives us sleep and rest. We can rest because he builds the house. We can rest because he watches over us. We can rest knowing that he watches over our loved ones. Let us take a moment to thank God that he watches over us and protects us. Also, let us thank God for our family, our children, our parents, and our friends that he has strategically placed in our lives. And for those of us who have been estranged or lost loved ones let us not forget Psalm 68:5, Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. Within the household of faith, we all find rest in him. Take a moment and thank God that he is our Father, and he has given us a family, the church. Thank you Lord that you build this house, that you watch over our city and our family. Thank you for calling us children of God. We are your heritage, and you know us by name, Thank you for watching over us and protecting us. Thank you Father for your goodness. Your provision is daily and your love for us is deeper and wider than we could ever ask or imagine. And thank you for the relationships that you have given us in our communities. We know that these relationships are a gift from you, so we give you thanks and praise in response! Supplication Psalm 7 should provoke us to pray specifically for people and situations in our lives. Pray for the uncertainties in your life. Ask God to strengthen and renew you through his Word. And ask him to move in your circumstances. The previous three sentences adapted from John 5:5 7. See John :.

4 Pray and ask God to protect your family. Lift your voice and entrust your loved ones into his care. Take some time to call out your family members by name and make those specific requests known to God. Psalm 7 speaks of children and families as a blessing and a reward. Pray that parents and guardians in our communities would view their children as a blessing from the Lord. Pray in the spirit of Psalm 7 that genuine discipleship would happen in homes all across our communities. In line with Psalm 7, pray for our teachers, schools, and educational institutions that have such a formative impact on the children of our communities. Pray specifically for children and families in our communities that are broken, hurting, and underprivileged. Pray that they would turn to God in their weakness and find rest in the Lord. Pray for our communities, that people would see all children even unborn children as a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward! Wherever you may be struggling to find rest or peace today, in any way, ask the Lord to give you the faith to trust him and rest in him. Benediction God, unless you build the house, unless you do the work, we labor in vain. Because of your power, grace and mercy, you provide rest for your beloved. God, we thank you for our families, and we entrust them into your hands. Jesus, your promise in the gospel of John : reminds us of the eternal hope we have in you:

5 Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going. Thank you Jesus for preparing a home for us and giving us the faith to believe in the goodness of our Father. AMEN. Credits Praying the Bible is a copyrighted production of The Summit Institute, the equipping ministry of the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. If you would like to learn more about The Summit Institute, visit us online at summitchurch.com/institute. Produced by Chris Green, Luke Brown, and Jonathan Welch Engineered by Luke Brown and Branden Williams Written by Sheena and Tyler English Narrated by Chris Green Music by Luke Brown and Paul Seykora Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), copyright 00 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 5