As king of Israel, David had a lot of responsibility. For the kingdom of Israel, he was a visionary leader, a political leader, and a military leader. And not to be lost in all those responsibilities is that David was to shepherd and lead the people's hearts to God.

For David to carry out all his varied responsibilities faithfully, he needed help. Lots of help. And there was one place that he knew he could always go to receive that help.

That made David a man of prayer. As you read through the Psalms, you'll notice David displayed confidence that God would hear his prayers. And that was because he knew two things for sure.

He knew that God loves powerfully. God's love for him and the people of Israel was truly a wonder to David. It was so powerful that David could ask God to show up. In fact, he believed, God's love would never allow him not to show up.

David also knew that God loves him personally. David recognized that he is "the apple of God's eye."

How about you? I'm guessing you have a lot of responsibility too. You need to be able to call on God and know that he hears your prayers.

He does. And he will answer. Because God's love for you and the people you are responsible for is powerful. And because God's love for you is personal. You are the apple of God's eye!

"I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings" (Psalm 17:6-8, NIV).

Lord, I know two things about you. Your love is wondrously powerful. And you love me personally. I have responsibilities that are far too large. I cannot handle them all adequately. But you can. Because you love powerfully, and because you love me personally, hear and answer my prayers.

Our Bible reading for Thursday, January 29, is Job 11:1 - 14:22, Matthew 20:1-19 and Psalm 17:6-12.

Header image based on "apple picking 3" by Fogg, CC by 2.0