Hello All! Sorry for my lack of emails last week, we were busy trying to get everything sorted out as we look forward to meeting in person again, so that took up a majority of my time last week! I hope you’re all still doing well and staying healthy! We’ll be in Psalm 7 today:
A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge;save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.O Lord my God, if I have done this,if there is wrong in my hands,if I have repaid my friend with evilor plundered my enemy without cause,let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,and let him trample my life to the groundand lay my glory in the dust. SelahArise, O Lord, in your anger;lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;over it return on high.The Lord judges the peoples;judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousnessand according to the integrity that is in me.Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,and may you establish the righteous—you who test the minds and hearts,O righteous God!My shield is with God,who saves the upright in heart.God is a righteous judge,and a God who feels indignation every day.If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword;he has bent and readied his bow;he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,making his arrows fiery shafts.Behold, the wicked man conceives eviland is pregnant with mischiefand gives birth to lies.He makes a pit, digging it out,and falls into the hole that he has made.His mischief returns upon his own head,and on his own skull his violence descends.I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.
This is another instance of David being chased and pursued by an enemy who is intent on killing him. This has led him to do some serious self examination and self reflection. Notice at the beginning where and how David looks for comfort: he places his refuge in God. Now, that doesn’t mean inaction on David’s part, on the country, he is continually fleeing from his enemies and doing whatever he can to remain alive. But his ultimate hope and comfort is found in God, not in anything built by human hands. Notice also the self examination he does. He says “If I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands,” meaning he is questioning what he has done to lead to his accusations. I think many times for us we miss this piece during our difficulties. As we saw in Luke just a few weeks ago, we need to look at the log in our own eyes before we look at the speck in someone else’s eye.
But David also doesn’t look for consolation here and now. He knows that even if he dies, God will avenge him. This eschatological hope gives us a reason to endure whatever this world throws at us. God is a righteous judge who will hold everyone accountable for how they lived. But at the same time, we are called to be ministers of reconciliation and pray for and do our best to bring about God’s peace right here and right now. So even when we look around us and see the world falling apart we can still praise the name of the Lord.
SONG:
Today’s song is called ‘A Christian’s Daily Prayer’ which is one I was introduced to at a conference a couple years ago. It’s a wonderful song to make a prayer with your morning devotions that walks through the various stages of life and asking for strength to remain faithful. You can listen to it on YOUTUBE or SPOTIFY.
Pastor Mike's Musings 