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Day 162, or June the 11th. Begin the day positively. Our thoughts today are rooted in Psalm 59,

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verse 16. I will sing of your strength. In the morning I will sing of your love. For

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you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

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Now the big picture surrounding this verse. Today's thought comes from a block of five

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psalms, all written by David, and all concentrating on our need for protection and turning to

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God for it. During his life David spent a great deal of time running from his enemies,

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so he knew a lot about protection. Psalm 56 was written out of the experience of being

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captured by the Philistines, while Psalm 57 and 59 came out of his memories of being chased

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by King Saul, even after he'd been anointed as king to succeed Saul.

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And now our action step for today. When you are afraid it can be difficult at times to

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know which way to turn. Some dangers require comfort from a loved one, but others are best

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treated with advice or help from someone who understands the situation better than you.

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David concluded that his God was more than able to take care of all fears and dreads,

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so it was best practice to turn to him no matter what the problem was. However, he didn't

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wait until the trouble arrived, he laid the foundation for victory as soon as it was day.

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In today's verse we hear that David proclaims the strength and power of God as soon as he

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got up. Now some of us find being a morning person easy, but for others it goes against

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our nature. Nevertheless, David gives us a great idea to make the most of each day, and

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it is up to you whether or not we follow his advice.

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I well remember a speaker at a large conference asking how everyone had started the day. She

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asked if we had woken up and said, Good morning, God, or had we said, Good God morning. There

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was a sharp intake of breath, and then folk realized the reality of such a brusque statement.

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If you haven't made Jesus your foundation for today, do it now, and remember to do it

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tomorrow. First thing.