Now Is the Day of God’s Favor

Oct 11, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Holding Heads Above Water in Life’s Deep Currents

A drowning man grips a stranger’s shoulders, refusing to let her sink though his strength fails. This Psalmist’s cry mirrors Dawson Trotman’s final act – the costly choice to sustain others when waves overwhelm. Scripture invites raw honesty about life’s floods while anchoring hope in God’s love that outlasts storms. True rescue often comes through ordinary saints willing to exhaust themselves so others breathe. [13:04]

“Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.” (Psalm 69:1-3, NIV)

Reflection: Who is God asking you to hold above life’s waves this week, even if it costs your comfort? What practical step can you take to help them keep breathing?

Day 2: Praying in the Eighth Ratzon: God’s Now Moment

The Hebrew phrase “time of favor” pulses through Scripture like a heartbeat – David’s desperate prayer, Isaiah’s prophecy, Paul’s declaration that NOW is salvation’s day. This isn’t passive waiting but active seizing of Christ-bought realities. Like Peter healing the lame man, we live in the era where skeletal fingers of darkness must release what Jesus died to give. The kingdom advances when we grab hold. [35:21]

“This is what the Lord says: ‘In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you.’ [...] This is what the Lord says: ‘I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land.’” (Isaiah 49:8, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you stopped praying boldly because you forgot Christ’s “yes”? What promise needs your “amen” today?

Day 3: Lament as the Language of Drowning Souls

Choking on lake water, the Psalmist howls at God’s silence. Christ’s tears at Lazarus’ tomb sanctify this raw honesty – our High Priest knows drowning’s burn. Lament isn’t faithlessness but the rope that tethers us to God when undertows drag. Sixty Psalms model this: screaming “pour out your wrath” while clinging to “your love is better than life.” True hope stares down the storm. [20:26]

“But I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up.” (Psalm 69:13-15, NIV)

Reflection: What grief or anger have you bottled instead of pouring it before Christ, who wept at death’s sting? Write one sentence of honest lament.

Day 4: Prying Blessings from Skeletal Fingers

Demonic forces cling to what Christ won – like skeletons guarding treasure they can’t truly possess. The kingdom comes through holy force: Bartimaeus shouting over shushing crowds, the bleeding woman elbowing through doubt. These “forceful ones” model grabbing grace’s artifacts from enemy lies. Our amen to God’s yes often requires wrestling blessings loose. [46:03]

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it.” (Matthew 11:12, NIV)

Reflection: What God-promised breakthrough have you avoided pursuing because reclaiming it feels too costly? Name one “holy raid” you’re called to attempt.

Day 5: Dying the Way We Live: Lifting Others Up

Trotman drowned as he discipled – holding a life above water. Peter and John traded temple rituals for prison chains to make a beggar walk. Kingdom math measures success by what we spend, not keep. Every healed soul, every sustained struggler, every generational blessing flows from saints who paid the price. Resurrection life grows where we bury our comfort. [52:36]

“Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.” (Acts 3:6-7, NIV)

Reflection: What part of your life – time, reputation, safety – is Jesus asking you to risk today so someone else can walk in freedom?

Sermon Summary

Psalm 69 gives language for people who feel like they are drowning, sinking in mire with no foothold, worn out from calling for help while God seems silent. The psalmist does not clean up the pain or pretend that enemies are not real. God’s prayer book makes room for lament because God wants His people to be real with Him and pour out what is actually in their hearts.

Jesus gives lament its fullest meaning on this side of the cross. Christ knows relational betrayal, false accusation, mockery, physical agony, and the grief of watching people He loves suffer. The cross means no sufferer can finally say, “God, You don’t get it,” because Jesus took on human limitation and entered the depths of human pain.

Psalm 69 moves from lament to petition, imprecation, and expectation. The petition rests on three realities: God’s great love, God’s sure salvation, and God’s time of favor. The psalmist does not know exactly when deliverance will come, but he knows God loves him and that nothing can stop God when He acts.

Imprecation must be read through Jesus. God alone holds vengeance because only God can bring mercy and justice together perfectly. Christ also died while sinners were still sinners, which humbles anyone who wants judgment for another person. Ephesians 6 further redirects the battle, because flesh and blood are not the ultimate enemy; spiritual powers are. God’s people can pray boldly against demonic opposition without turning human beings into targets.

Isaiah 49 and 2 Corinthians 6 bring Psalm 69 into a new reality: “now is the time of God’s favor” and “now is the day of salvation.” Jesus is God’s yes to every promise, and faith says amen. The kingdom has broken in, and God’s grace must not be received in vain. Blind Bartimaeus cried louder, the woman with the issue of blood pressed through the crowd, and Peter and John stopped for a lame beggar because they seized what Jesus was doing in that moment.

The kingdom’s gifts are free, but laying hold of them often costs something. Satan is defeated, yet his bony fingers can still seem wrapped around things God has made available. Dawson Trotman lifting a drowning girl, and Peter and John risking inconvenience, reputation, and prison for a beggar, show that holding someone else up can be costly. Christ calls His people to see the new reality, say amen to what He is offering, and pay the price of becoming a conduit of His grace for another.

Key Takeaways

1. God welcomes honest lament. Lament is not unbelief when it brings pain to God rather than hiding it from Him. The Psalms give words for exhaustion, grief, fear, and the feeling that God is far away. God does not require polished prayers from wounded people; He invites truth from the depths. [19:23]
2. Jesus understands every kind of pain. Christ entered betrayal, injustice, shame, grief, physical suffering, and death. His sympathy is not distant or theoretical, because He has lived inside human sorrow. The cross turns every cry of pain into a cry heard by a Savior who truly gets it. [22:53]
3. God’s favor is available now. Jesus has brought the day of salvation into the present. God’s promises are yes in Christ, and faith responds with amen rather than endlessly postponing obedience. The right response is not passive waiting but prayerful attention to what God is already doing. [40:25]
4. Kingdom breakthroughs can cost something. Grace cannot be earned, but participating in grace often requires time, courage, inconvenience, and risk. Peter and John stopped for the man others passed by, and their obedience eventually led to opposition. Love sometimes means holding another person’s head above water at personal cost. [52:21]
5. God calls His people to seize grace. The defeated enemy can still intimidate people into leaving God’s gifts untouched. Faith may require prying back the bony fingers of fear, passivity, shame, or unbelief and receiving what Christ has made available. God’s people are called both to seek breakthrough for themselves and to help others seize it too.

## [55:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[10:42] - Dawson Trotman and Lifting People Up
[16:00] - Psalm 69 and the Shape of Lament
[19:23] - Jesus Sympathizes With Human Pain
[23:13] - How to Read Imprecatory Psalms
[28:06] - The Four Movements of Psalm 69
[33:09] - Praying in God’s Time of Favor
[36:28] - Isaiah’s Promise of God’s Favor
[39:25] - Now Is the Day of Salvation
[42:02] - Seizing the Kingdom of God
[47:34] - The Cost of Holding Others Up
[49:54] - Peter and John Stop for the Beggar
[52:36] - Eyes to See the New Reality
[55:33] - Saying Amen to God Today

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 69
“Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from you. But I pray to you, LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.” [16:00]

2 Corinthians 6:2
“For he says, 'In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.' I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.” [39:25]

Isaiah 49:8
“This is what the LORD says: 'In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances,” [36:28]

Observation questions

What images does Psalm 69 use to describe the psalmist’s distress, exhaustion, and sense that God is distant? [28:27]
What four movements can be traced through Psalm 69, and how does the tone change by the final movement? [28:06]
In Psalm 69:13, what three truths shape the psalmist’s request for help: God’s love, God’s salvation, and God’s timing? [33:33]
According to Isaiah 49:8 and 2 Corinthians 6:2, what phrases connect God’s “time of favor” with the “day of salvation”? [39:10]

Interpretation questions

Why might God include so many prayers of lament in Scripture? What does that suggest about bringing unfiltered grief, fear, anger, and confusion to God? [19:23]
Psalm 69 includes prayers for judgment against enemies. How do God’s justice, Christ’s death for sinners, and the truth that the deepest battle is not against flesh and blood shape the way believers should pray when they have been wronged? [24:46]
How does Jesus’ experience of betrayal, false accusation, mockery, grief, and physical suffering change the meaning of the psalmist’s cry for help? [22:53]
If “now is the day of salvation,” what might it mean to receive God’s grace rather than putting off a response that God is calling for today? [40:25]

Application questions

Where do you currently feel like the psalmist—tired, overwhelmed, unable to find solid footing, or waiting for God to answer? What would it look like to bring that situation honestly to God instead of trying to clean it up first? [28:40]
Is there a pain in your life that has made you wonder whether God understands? Which part of Jesus’ suffering helps you remember that He truly meets you in that pain? [21:41]
Is there a person or situation toward whom you are carrying anger? How can you honestly name the wrong while leaving vengeance and final justice in God’s hands? [25:17]
What gift or breakthrough from God might fear, shame, passivity, or unbelief be keeping you from receiving—perhaps forgiveness, healing, reconciliation, prayer, or asking for help? What could your “amen” to God look like this week? [55:00]
Where might God be inviting you to notice a “now” opportunity to show His grace to someone else? Is there a person you have been tempted to pass by because helping would be inconvenient, awkward, or costly? [51:16]
What kind of cost are you most reluctant to pay for another person—time, emotional energy, reputation, comfort, money, or the risk of disappointment? How might God be calling you to help hold someone’s head above water? [55:33]

Sermon Clips

32s

#FaithInAction

“There's people in your life who who who, have have not understood that Jesus loves them just where they're at, and he died for them in their sins. And it's gonna cost you something to help them keep their head above water and not drown spiritually. And there's gonna be others that maybe it's a healing or it's a a restoration of a marriage or it's gonna be something else, but it it usually costs us.”

26s

#KingdomBreakthrough

“Lord, would you help us see? Yeah. It's gonna cost us time. It's gonna cost us possible embarrassment. It's gonna cost us maybe some people being opposed to us. But the joy of seeing your kingdom breakthrough, seeing lives change, seeing bodies healed, seeing souls saved, it is worth it. We get to participate with you.”

39s

#GraceForSinners

“this person or that person or this situation or whatever, I I have to sometimes put myself in their shoes and go, you know what? When I was that idiot, when I was that person wreaking havoc, Jesus died for me. Jesus didn't die for me once I got myself all cleaned up and my act together while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. And so I look through, the lens of this idea that Jesus died even for sinners. Well, he died only for sinners because all of us are sinners.”

52s

#KingdomReality

“God, would you help me to see that I live in a new reality different than the rest of history history until after Jesus. There is something different. The kingdom of heaven has broken into earth. Now listen, I I'm not saying that that there still isn't a part of God's timing. You know, people were crying out, you know, wondering why Jesus hadn't come back yet. And and Peter writes, well, don't think that God is slow. He's delaying this because he doesn't want anyone to be lost, condemned. And so he's delaying his return. So there's times that that that God still, delays, but it doesn't mean he's not working.”

38s

#SeizeTheMoment

“How often? How often? Remember what the apostle Paul just said there? Do not receive God's grace in vain. Man, what what a shame it is to live in this reality in which the kingdom has broken in, and yet we're living like we're in the day of David instead of in the day of the son of David Jesus. So, give me eyes to recognize the new world, the new reality I live. Number two is I'm saying, Lord, what does it mean for me to seize?”

37s

#HealingJourney

“Lord, are there things that you want me to have, but but I need to pry off some some skeletal fingers. Right? It's not that I'm earning it, but I have to to receive it. I have to say my amen to it. What does that look like for healing in my relationships, for healing in my body, for healing in my in my soul? Lord, what is it what does it look like? What effort do I need to put in in order to receive it? It's a gift I know, but but I need to get in a position to receive it.”

38s

#GodsGreatLove

“Now there's three things I note here. Number one is if we're going to pray boldly and confidently, number one, we have to understand God's great love for us. Right? Even though we're facing this, somehow this guy, who's praying this prayer has written this is not saying, God, you don't love me. Even though bad things are happening, he recognized, God, you love me. God, you're full of love. And so whatever your circumstances here today, don't interpret, bad things happening as that God doesn't love you. God in your great love.”

31s

#SpiritualWarfare

“I pray that, not against my physical enemies, but against my spiritual enemies. I have no problem praying against the demonic, God, break their teeth. Not that I think they literally have teeth, but I'm saying, God, break their teeth, crush them, use your mighty right hand, defeat them. I have no problem praying that because I know that ultimately, my opponents are not flesh and blood, but their spiritual power.”

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