For the week of August 24, 2026
MONDAY
Day One: Greatly Afflicted
Truth: Psalm 129 says, “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth” – let Israel now say – “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.” The LORD is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward! Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms, nor do those who pass by say, “The blessing of the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!
Sermon Point: God’s people have endured severe and repeated affliction throughout their entire history, yet their enemies have never ultimately overcome them. The psalmist emphasizes both the magnitude and the long duration of this suffering, beginning “from their youth” and continuing into the present. Still, Israel proclaims its triumph: despite relentless opposition, they stand firm and testify that their persecutors “have not prevailed.” These verses call believers today to expect hardship, persevere through it, and boldly declare God’s sustaining faithfulness in and through every trial.
Application: Identify one person at FM or in your community who is walking through some sort of affliction and reach out with a call, a meal, or a handwritten note. Offer them the same encouragement the psalmist gives: “You are not defeated; God is sustaining you!”
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Praise God for the way He has carried you through hardships.
- Pray that God would strengthen FM church to stand firm in God’s grace and peace through every trial.
TUESDAY
Day Two: The Furrows of Suffering
Truth: Psalm 129 says, “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth” – let Israel now say – “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.” The LORD is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward! Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms, nor do those who pass by say, “The blessing of the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!
Sermon Point: The psalmist uses the image of a plow cutting long furrows into a person’s back to portray both the severity and the relentless nature of the suffering God’s people have endured. Just as a farmer drives his plow deep into the soil, Israel’s enemies have inflicted deep, repeated wounds upon them. The picture is intentionally graphic – long gashes, systematic cruelty, and ongoing pain – to show the brutality of the ungodly toward the faithful. This vivid metaphor underscores how intense and unyielding their affliction has been, even as God’s people continue to endure.
Application: Reach out to a battle buddy and together, choose one practical step you can each take toward healing from a past or present wound: praying specifically for each other, finding Scripture verses that speak God’s Truth over your circumstances, identifying ways God has strengthened or changed you through it (and thanking Him for that gift of grace), etc.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Praise God for all the ways He has helped us endure the afflictions we’ve faced.
- Pray that we would be people of compassion toward others who are enduring affliction.
WEDNESDAY
Day Three: The LORD is righteous!
Truth: Psalm 129 says, “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth” – let Israel now say – “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.” The LORD is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward! Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms, nor do those who pass by say, “The blessing of the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!
Sermon Point: The psalmist makes clear that Israel’s endurance is not a story of human strength or self‑reliance, but of God’s decisive intervention. It’s the righteousness of the Lord that cuts the cords of the wicked and ends the afflictions that carve deep furrows into His people. The survival of God’s people, both in the Old Testament and the New, is rooted in God’s character – His faithfulness, His promises, and His rescuing power. Because of this, we must resist the temptation to rely on our own strength and instead confidently pray for God’s intervention, knowing He has always been the One who delivers His people.
Application: Write down two ways you tend to rely on your own strength – controlling outcomes, hiding weakness, refusing help – and intentionally surrender them to God this week. Replace each one with a concrete act of trust, such as asking for prayer or pausing to seek God’s wisdom before acting.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Praise God for His righteousness…and thank Him for all the ways it has transformed your life.
- Thank God for all the ways He has delivered us…and pray that He will help us to rely on Him to an even greater degree.
THURSDAY
Day Four: God’s Enemies
Truth: Psalm 129 says, “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth” – let Israel now say – “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.” The LORD is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward! Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms, nor do those who pass by say, “The blessing of the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!
Sermon Point: The psalmist prays that all who hate Zion – those who oppose God, His people, and His worship – will be defeated and put to shame. He asks that the wicked become like rooftop grass: shallow, scorched, and unable to produce any lasting fruit. He pictures their efforts as so barren that both the reaper and binder walk away empty‑handed, with nothing to harvest. Ultimately, he prays that those who oppose God’s people will not receive God’s blessing, because their hatred of Zion is hatred of God Himself.
Application: Since the psalmist prays that the wicked would be unfruitful, commit yourself to producing the opposite: choose one act of obedience, service, or generosity this week that reflects the fruitfulness God desires from His people. Let your life be a contrast to rooftop grass that withers!
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Pray that God would thwart any and every evil plan or intention that seeks to destroy His church or silence or twist His Truth.
- Praise God that ultimately, all evil will wither like grass and righteousness will last forever.
FRIDAY
Day Five: God’s Blessing
Truth: Psalm 129 says, “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth” – let Israel now say – “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.” The LORD is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward! Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms, nor do those who pass by say, “The blessing of the LORD be upon you! We bless you in the name of the LORD!
Sermon Point: The psalmist prays that the enemies of God would not receive a blessing, using harvest imagery to show that those who oppose God should not be strengthened or rewarded. In Israel’s agrarian culture, harvesters greeted one another with blessings, but the psalmist asks that such goodwill be withheld from the wicked because they would only use it to harm God’s people. God’s Word affirms that persistent hostility toward God leads to judgment and exclusion from His kingdom. The psalmist urges God’s people to remember how God has delivered them, praise Him for His steadfast love in Christ, and carry the message of redemption to the wicked so that, by grace, they too might turn and live.
Application: Create a short list of people – public figures, coworkers, neighbors, even adversaries – and pray weekly that God would turn them from hostility to repentance.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Pray for all those who are enemies of God’s people – that God would open their eyes and pour out the same grace He’s poured out on us.
- Pray for every aspect of the car cruise tomorrow and for all those who will attend – that FM will Glorify God Alone by coming out to make disciples in obedience to the commission we’ve been given.