O God, listen to my complaint. Protect my life from my enemies’ threats. Hide me from the plots of this evil mob, from this gang of wrongdoers.
They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent, attacking suddenly and fearlessly.
They encourage each other to do evil and plan how to set their traps in secret. “Who will ever notice?” they ask.
As they plot their crimes, they say, “We have devised the perfect plan!” Yes, the human heart and mind are cunning. [vss 1-6]
But God himself will shoot them with his arrows, suddenly striking them down.
Their own tongues will ruin them, and all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
Then everyone will be afraid; they will proclaim the mighty acts of God and realize all the amazing things he does.
The godly will rejoice in the lord and find shelter in him. And those who do what is right will praise him. [vss 7-10]
For the choir director: A psalm of David. (Psalms 64:1-10 NLT)
As a new year begins, many anticipate great change and have much hope for what the coming year will bring. Others are concerned about various threats from global warming to terrorism.
But, as Solomon said so many years ago and Shakespeare echoed, "there is nothing new under the sun" (Eccl 1:9 NIV). It's not that changes won't come or that there's no hope, but life is cyclical and the worries of today are like the worries of yesterday.
Consider terrorism. Some terrorism is propagated by certain religious and political zealots, but this existed in the day of Jesus. Other fears that terrorize people have also existed long ago, things like sickness, poverty, oppression, disasters, or treacherous weather.
There's even a terror of the heart and mind. This can be caused by worry, obsessive fears, even mental illness. Again, all these have plagued humanity for ages.
What's the antidote for terror of any kind? Trusting God. Seeing things from His perspective or at least from a point of view governed by trust in the Lord rather than trust in ourselves.
Once again, King David teaches us how to deal with such concerns.
It's okay to voice our concerns and complaints to Him, in fact, it's the wise thing to do, instead of keeping it bottled up inside or complaining to others.
David knows that God is sovereign. The Lord is the supreme ruler over all. He knows that God will set things right in His time and His way, not ours.
When we see things from God's perspective and realize His greatness, we can rejoice in Him, praise Him, and seek Him as our personal shelter. ©Word-Strong_2017
How are you approaching this new year?
With hope or worry? With fear or confidence?
God is a strong shelter for those who trust in Him!
Would you like a free study guide for your study of Psalms?
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I won't cover all 150 Psalms, but do selective devotionals through the rest of Psalms.
So if I skip one that you like... let me know and I'll try to cover it!
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