June 22, 2023 — Psalm 64 

“Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from the dread enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the scheming of evildoers, who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, shooting from ambush at the blameless; they shoot suddenly and without fear. They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, “Who can see us? Who can search out our crimes? We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot.” For the human heart and mind are deep. But God will shoot his arrow at them; they will be wounded suddenly. Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake with horror. Then everyone will fear; they will tell what God has brought about and ponder what he has done. Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him. Let all the upright in heart glory.” Psalm 64 

The psalmist begs G-d to protect him from his fear. He goes on to describe the tongue as a sword, and the more we spend time on Social Media sites, the more we find this to be true. In many ways, there is no guard against a false tongue – too many people hide behind screens of lies and slander. It is too easy to be drawn into such slander, and soon we are no better than the trolls who egg us on. It is a sign that the heart is being drawn into darkness when it is encouraged to write evil when beset with evil.  

In contrast to the labors of the “enemy”, of our enemies, G-d’s judgment and G-d’s goodness is swift and appropriate. We trust that the goodness of G-d will frustrate the plans, the “arrows”, the attack that comes “suddenly” from our haters, and the sharpness of the verbal and physical attacks of those who hate us – of those who persecute Christians. The Psalmist says, “Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him.” and again,  “Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from the dread enemy.” 

G-d hears our prayers all the time, even before we pray them. G-d even knows the thoughts of our heart. We must pray with the trust and the earnestness that we believe G-d hears us always. We are the salt of the earth, those of us who call ourselves Christians. Fear is lack of faith. Christians should not fear the things of this earth – but live with the faith that G-d has all things under control.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, you gave your Son victory over those who plotted evil against him; when he cried to you in his agony, you delivered him from the fear of his enemies. May those who suffer with him in this life find refuge in you, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

June 21, 2023 — Psalm 63 

“O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.” Psalm 63 

Something I have preached upon or mentioned often in my devotions is this: we are not guaranteed easy lives or constant good luck – and just as quickly we have good days, we can also find ourselves firmly fighting for our lives in the desert. What the Psalmist says here sets an example on how to praise G-d when we are in the desert. No matter how far we might be from our loved ones, from our friends, from the trimmings of the church, G-d is always with us. Some fault those of us who follow G-d that we use this faith as a crutch. But I believe that true believers are proud to use G-d as a crutch and depend on our faith in Christ for everything: “My soul clings to You, Your right hand upholds me”, says the Psalmist.  “…all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.” I will continue to trust in G-d’s word and G-d’s promises – for they will carry us through the darkest and most difficult times. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, creator of unfailing light, enlighten those who call to you. May our lives proclaim your goodness, our work give you honor, and our voices praise you forever; for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.