Verse of the Week:: from JFarese

**By Keith Beauchemin via Johnny Farese**

Psalm 59:16,17

"But I will sing of Your power;

Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;

For You have been my defense

And refuge in the day of my trouble.

To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;

For God is my defense,

My God of mercy."

David wrote this psalm when Saul sent men to David's house to kill him. At the end of this psalm David lifts his voice in praise to God.

David gave praise to God because He is a God of power. David says that he will sing praise about God's power, but also because God gives His own power to His people. David says, "To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises." David knew God personally and experienced the Lord's strength in his time of need.

When we look to our own strength or abilities we miss out on experiencing God's power in our lives. God graciously gives us strength when we admit our weakness. Then we will see God's power manifested.

It is in our trials and suffering that God loves to manifet His strength. It is then that we most keenly see our weakness. Then the Lord can receive all the glory for manifesting His power.

God would not take away the apostle Paul's suffering, so that His grace and power might be magnified. The Lord told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Paul responded by saying, "Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Cor. 12:9)

I must admit that I rarely boast in my sufferings. We must look at our trials as an opprotunity to see God's power and strength manifested in our lives, and then give glory to God. As David did, let each one of us sing praises to God, whom we can each address as "O my Strength."