welcome into today's encouragement from our daily bread the reading for today titled the love of God was written by Kenneth Peterson
 a 1917 Frederick Lehman California businessmen beset by Financial setbacks wrote the lyrics to the hymn the love of God his inspiration let him quickly to pan the first two stanzas but he got stuck on the third he recalled a poem that have been discovered years earlier written on the walls of a prison a prisoner had scratched it there into the stone expressing a deep awareness of God's love the poem happened to be in the same M as LeMans him he made it his third stanza there are times when we faced difficult setbacks as did Lehman and the poet in the prison cell in times of Despair we do well to Echo the psalmist David's words in Psalm 57 and take refuge in the shadow of God's Wings it's okay to cry out to God with our troubles to speak to him of our current ordeal and the fears we have went in the
 midst of lions we are soon reminded of the reality of God's provision and times past and join David who says I will sing and make music I will awaken the dawn
 the love of God is greater far this him proclaims adding it goes beyond the highest star it's precisely in our time of greatest need when we are to embrace how great God's love really is indeed reaching to the heavens
 today's our daily bread devotional scripture reading is Psalm 57
 have mercy on me my God have mercy on me for in you I take refuge I will take refuge in The Shadow of Your Wings until the disaster has passed I cry out to God most high to God who vindicates me he sends from heaven and saves me rebuking those who hotly pursue me God sends forth his love and his faithfulness I am in the midst of lions I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts man whose teeth are Spears and arrows whose tongues are sharp swords
 be exalted o God above the heavens let your glory be over all the Earth they spread a net for my feet I was bow down in distress they dug the pit in my path but they have fallen into it themselves my heart oh God Is Dead Fast my heart is steadfast I will sing and make music Awake My Soul awake harp and lyre I will awaken the dawn I will praise you Lord among the nation's I will sing of you among the peoples for Great Is Your Love reaching to the heavens your faithfulness reaches to the skies be exalted o God above the heavens let your glory be over all the Earth
 butt spray
 loving God you know that we all face difficult matters in our lives and no doubt some listening right now are in this very moment in these times Lord help us to praise you and thank you for the reminder that you love us and will provide for us throughout all of our lives and it's in Jesus name that we pray and have confidence amen
 thanks so much for listening today my name is Wes Ward and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries