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 Welcome to the Fifth Week of Lent 2026 Prayers & Ponderings page!  Here you will find the resources for your weekly prayers and reflections - Weekly Prayer & Pondering Guide and Small Group Discussion Notes.

  If you are more of a visual learner, a video version of the Prayer & Pondering Guide is right here!  You can pause the video when you need more time to read, pray, or ponder.  Also, in case you wish to have the background music continue playing during your moments of prayer and pondering, the video guide will play 4 times so you will have the opportunity to catch up when you are ready to continue.  Here is the fifth installment:

For those who rather have a continual flow of the Prayer & Pondering Guide, here it is:

Seek God!

  God invites you to come to Him, The “Destination” you need. When you respond to His invitation, He transforms you out of His Love and He becomes your Shelter, your Safety, and your Salvation!

  Psalm 27 reads as if it was written while David was running from Saul, who was trying to take David’s life; most scholars believe it was written during those years.  Even in crying out to God for deliverance, David remained focused on knowing God was the shelter, safety, and salvation he needed … and more than physically.

  • Has there been a time when you were “on the run” from “enemies” (internal, external, mental, physical, spiritual, etc.)?

Reflect on how God was your shelter, safety, and salvation at that time.

  • Is this present season one of these times?

 If you are presently facing “enemies” and “on the run,” THANK GOD as to how He has saved you before and will do so through this present struggle.

 

PAUSE, PRAY, PONDER

  In the midst of David’s cry for mercy, protection, and deliverance, he declared that he was seeking to “dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life” (v. 4a), seeking “Him in His Temple” (v. 4b),” and seeking God’s face (v. 8).  David was seeking physical shelter, safety, and salvation but he was also seeking a deeper, longer-lasting shelter, safety, and salvation that only God could provide and David knew this provision only came in the Presence of God.  So, David declared that he would seek God for Who God is … “Your Face, Lord, I will seek” (v. 8b).

  At calm times, it can be difficult to seek God for the sake of His Presence and perhaps more so when we are “on the run” or facing “enemies”; in these latter times, we want relief, deliverance, reprieve, etc.  With David’s words preserved for us as part of God’s Holy Word, there is deep truth in them.

  • Can you remember a time when God’s Presence was all that was needed to bring you the safety, shelter, and salvation you needed, even though you may have still needed to be “on the run” or the "enemies” did not go away?
    • If so, spend some time rejoicing and thanking God for His Presence that brought you the peace (shelter, safety, and salvation) you needed.
    • If you are presently needing God’s peace, SEEK Him for Who He is and focus on Him, not the reason(s) you are running or on the “enemies” at hand.

  Consider reading Philippians 4:4-9, and remember, Paul wrote those words while he was in prison.

 

PAUSE, PRAY, PONDER

  Finally, as the scope of David’s Psalms are explored, we do find that he knows true shelter, safety, and salvation is a deep spiritual work of God.  Read Psalm 32 or 130.  Then …

  • Thank God for His spiritual work in your life, and
  • Knowing that He loves you so, respond to His Love for you by seeking Him and asking Him to search you and reveal if there is any area of your life (thoughts, beliefs, actions, attitudes, etc.) in which He wants to work more deeply.

 

PAUSE, PRAY, PONDER

   After you are done with your time of pause and prayer, you can continue to engage some further reflective thought or possibly, some e-discussion by using the Small Group Discussion Guide that follows. If you want to have some e-chat about this topic and what God might be revealing to you, feel free to reach out to Terry via email @ tfnaz1@gmail.com.

Ministries
The Seasons of The Church
Seek God!

 

  God invites you to come to Him, The “Destination” you need. When you respond to His invitation, He transforms you out of His Love and He becomes your Shelter, your Safety, and your Salvation!

  Psalm 27 reads as if it was written while David was running from Saul, who was trying to take David’s life.  Even though David was on the run for his life, he remained focused on God’s shelter, safety, and salvation.

  1. How do you think David was able to remain so focused on God during such difficult times? Did David have a “secret”?

 

When you can take the time, read 1 Samuel 18 thru 31 to see all that David faced.

 

  1. What helps you through when times are most difficult, i.e., you feel like you are “on the run” or you are facing “enemies”?

 

  1. In Psalm 27, what elements of David’s words and likely, actions and attitudes encourage you, surprise you, and/or seem impossible?

 

  1. In this Psalm, David declares that he is seeking God and will continue to seek him. What wisdom, direction, encouragement, and/or support do you find in David’s declarations?

 

  1. Few of us enjoy waiting, but David concludes this Psalm by exhorting the reader to “Wait for the Lord”? What does the immediate text tell us about our posture in waiting? What does the context (the entire Psalm) tell us about our posture in waiting?

 

  In considering Psalms 32 and/or 130,

 

  1. Who/what appears to be our worst “enemy”?

 

 

  1. What is the proper response(s) in facing this/these enemy(ies)?

 

  1. Who gives us and how does He give us the shelter, safety, and salvation we need from this/these enemy(ies)?

  God invites you to come to Him, The “Destination” you need. When you respond to His invitation, He transforms you out of His Love and He becomes your Shelter, your Safety, and your Salvation!

  Psalm 27 reads as if it was written while David was running from Saul, who was trying to take David’s life.  Even though David was on the run for his life, he remained focused on God’s shelter, safety, and salvation.

  1. In 1 Samuel 18:12 & 14, we quickly learn that one of David’s “secrets” is nothing he does; it is all about God’s grace … given to David, not earned, not kept by performance; look at how the text reads:

12 Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. … 14 In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him.

  Life for David could not get any better than that God was WITH him.  Unfortunately, it kept getting worse! Nonetheless, David knew that his success was because of God and not himself; read back over 1 Samuel 17 when David faced Goliath and you will find David’s complete reliance on and trust in God – other “secrets”.

  As a corollary, another “secret” to David staying focused on God was that in this stage of his life he continued to remain humble and KNOW that God was the One providing the success.

  We also find that David was humble and respectful to those around him, even unrighteous authority.  When Saul offered his oldest daughter to David, David was humble and respectfully declined.

18 But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?”       ~ 1 Samuel 18:18

This humility & respect is found again in 1 Samuel 18:23 when Saul’s attendants encouraged David to marry Saul’s youngest daughter, who loved David:

… But David said, “Do you think it is a small matter to become the king’s son-in-law? I’m only a poor man and little known.”

    Scanning through the rest of 1 Samuel from chapter 19 thru 31, you will likely find other “secrets” to David’s focus.  You will also find that when he failed to rest in or exercise these same “secrets” that he experienced troubles much deeper than Saul’s attacks on his life. Can you find some of these other “secrets” and also, the “secrets” David “forgot” which led to his dark days?

  Clearly, David has no “secret” that we cannot also exercise.

2. Our lives should be little different than David’s life. Humility in knowing God’s Presence is WITHIN us, trust in God, obedience to God, focusing on God rather than circumstances, honoring & respecting others, etc. can all go a long way in helping us during times when we are “on the run” and/or facing “enemies.”

 

  1. David’s words, actions, and attitudes are encouraging, surprising, and/or seemingly impossible because He knows the extent to which his enemies pursue him and hate him … the “wicked advance again (him) to devour (him)” (v.2), an “army besiege(s) (him)” (v.2), and “war break(s) out against (him)” (v. 3) but David remains remarkably confident and unafraid. His antidote? GOD!

  David’s assurance in the shelter, safety, and salvation God provides is unshakeable … no matter the intensity of the situation.

  David’s Lord is also the Lord Who is WITH us, WITHIN US!  David’s “shelter” is Our Shelter, his “safety” is Our Safety, and his “salvation” is Our Salvation!

  David central focus in the midst of his storms is to be near God, to know Him more, and to trust him.  Are most of us are far from such a central focus?  How can we become so focused?

  1. Even in the midst of “running” and facing “enemies” David wants to be near God, in His Dwelling Place, David wants to seek God and know him more, even wait on Him until He answers or delivers.

  I notice that David seeks God rather than God’s answers or any answer for that matter.  David asks God:

“Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.      ~ Psalm 27:11

      Notice that when David is being oppressed, He signs up for a class in “God’s Paths.” Does that remind you of Proverbs 3:5-6?

      David certainly knew how to engage battle. So, he had skills he was ready to use and he used them effectively.  However, David rested MORE in God than his own skills and he was even willing to set aside his abilities to “wait for the Lord” (v. 14); that’s my weakness … WAITING!

  1. This waiting is in strength and fortitude, with boldness and hope. This waiting exudes humble confidence, desire for God and His teachings/His ways.  While we wait, we do not sit idle, but we engage God … seeking Him, learning from Him, growing in and toward Him.  This waiting is an active faith, not a “twiddling of thumbs” faith.

  In David’s early life, he came to know that the Lord is His Salvation, not just from the lion and bear and Goliath but also His Salvation from sin, even his own desires and abhorrent actions.  Otherwise, there would have been no pure intent of the heart that God revealed to Samuel on the day God pointed David out as the one who would be king.  Do you remember what God said to Samue as Samuel began to assess David’s older brothers as king candidates?

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”      ~ 1 Samuel 16:17

As soon as Samuel say David, God more or less confirmed that this one’s heart (David’s) is one in which God is central.

  1. In reviewing Psalm 32 as well as Psalm 130, we find that sin, particularly unconfessed sin, is the greatest enemy that tormented his soul and ate away at his psyche and body.

When I kept silent,
    my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.         ~ Psalm 32:3-4

This torment is true for us as well, but THANKFULLY, David provides the answer … CONFESSION!

  1. Confession, owning up to having been defeated, overtaken, controlled by this enemy, brings shelter, safety, salvation … FREEDOM and HEALING, at least spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.           ~ Psalm 32:5

  Confession is the foundation of blessings with which David bookends this psalm:

Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.

 Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord 

does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.     ~ Psalm 32:1-2

 

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
    sing, all you who are upright in heart!    ~ Psalm 32:11

  This confession is not a “work” toward or for salvation but it is rather the proper response to the love and grace of God that knocks on the soul broken by sin.  Could it be similar to Jesus’ words in His letter to the church in Laodicea?

0 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.                          ~ Revelation 3:20

  1. God is The ONLY One who gives us such shelter, safety, and salvation! He does so because of His Love and Grace through our act of humble obedience to confess and repent, turning away from self and sin to Him … ALONE.  Read the heart of Psalm 32 and catch these phrases:

Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord 

does not count against them (v. 2)

The Lord “forgets” the count … the record, when we confess and turn to Him.

 For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me; (v.4a)

His Hand is heavy on us when we are living in/with sin in our lives.

 I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.” (v.5b)

There is NO ONE else to whom we can confess, other than to God.

 And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin. (v.5c),

God does more than forgive and forget the sin; God, also, removes the residue of guilt left by the sin.

 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found; (v. 6a)

After confession and living in the land of blessed forgiveness, we continue to seek Him through the communion of prayer, much as in Psalm 27, David sought God I the midst of his oppression and oppressors.

 You are my hiding place;
    you will protect me from trouble
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.  (v.7)

We continue to recognize God and keep Him central, acknowledging that He IS our shelter, safety, and salvation, and doing so with joy & testimony. (songs of deliverance)

 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
    or they will not come to you.     (vv. 8-9)

We not only pray, we not only recognize, but we also continue to learn from God … humbly, receptively.

 Many are the woes of the wicked,
    but the Lord’s unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts in him.

We realize and relish that all of this type of living is because of the unfailing love of God, His “hesed.” (See the video on “Loyal Love” on Week 4.)