(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(Psalm 59:1-17) Rescue me from my enemies, my God;
Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.
2 Rescue me from those who practice injustice,
And save me from men of bloodshed.
3 For behold, they have set an ambush for my life;
Fierce men attack me,
Not for my wrongdoing nor for my sin, Lord,
4 For no guilt of mine, they run and take their stand against me.
Stir Yourself to help me, and see!
5 You, Lord God of armies, the God of Israel,
Awake to punish all the nations;
Do not be gracious to any who deal treacherously in wrongdoing. Selah
6 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And prowl around the city.
7 Behold, they gush forth with their mouths;
Swords are in their lips,
For, they say, “Who hears?”
8 But You, Lord, laugh at them;
You scoff at all the nations.
9 Because of his strength I will watch for You,
For God is my refuge.
10 My God in His faithfulness will meet me;
God will let me look triumphantly upon my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people will forget;
Scatter them by Your power and bring them down,
Lord, our shield.
12 On account of the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips,
May they even be caught in their pride,
And on account of curses and lies which they tell.
13 Destroy them in wrath, destroy them so that they will no longer exist;
So that people may know that God rules in Jacob,
To the ends of the earth. Selah
14 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And prowl around the city.
15 They wander about for food
And murmur if they are not satisfied.
16 But as for me, I will sing of Your strength;
Yes, I will joyfully sing of Your faithfulness in the morning,
For You have been my refuge
And a place of refuge on the day of my distress.
17 My strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my refuge, the God who shows me favor.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.
2 Rescue me from those who practice injustice,
And save me from men of bloodshed.
3 For behold, they have set an ambush for my life;
Fierce men attack me,
Not for my wrongdoing nor for my sin, Lord,
4 For no guilt of mine, they run and take their stand against me.
Stir Yourself to help me, and see!
5 You, Lord God of armies, the God of Israel,
Awake to punish all the nations;
Do not be gracious to any who deal treacherously in wrongdoing. Selah
6 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And prowl around the city.
7 Behold, they gush forth with their mouths;
Swords are in their lips,
For, they say, “Who hears?”
8 But You, Lord, laugh at them;
You scoff at all the nations.
9 Because of his strength I will watch for You,
For God is my refuge.
10 My God in His faithfulness will meet me;
God will let me look triumphantly upon my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people will forget;
Scatter them by Your power and bring them down,
Lord, our shield.
12 On account of the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips,
May they even be caught in their pride,
And on account of curses and lies which they tell.
13 Destroy them in wrath, destroy them so that they will no longer exist;
So that people may know that God rules in Jacob,
To the ends of the earth. Selah
14 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And prowl around the city.
15 They wander about for food
And murmur if they are not satisfied.
16 But as for me, I will sing of Your strength;
Yes, I will joyfully sing of Your faithfulness in the morning,
For You have been my refuge
And a place of refuge on the day of my distress.
17 My strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my refuge, the God who shows me favor.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Whether people want it or not, or believe it or not, God is ruler of all. By God allowing evil to exist right now, gives us an opportunity to see God at work. Either we will see God dealing with the evil, or holding evil at bay, or convicting a prideful heart to humbly turn to the Lord for redemption...
We cannot know people's hearts and we do not know what the future holds for them, so we could be making terrible mistakes if we sought revenge. But God knows! And here is just one example: God allowed Saul (in Acts 8) to go around persecuting the Church and having people put to death. I'm sure most of the Christians at that time would have wanted God to remove Saul from the earth.
Had God answered a prayer like that to appease the Christians and make them feel safe for the moment, they would not have had such a follow servant added to their ranks. God knew that Saul would become a Christian. Changing his name to Paul, God used him to zealously live out God's will, spread the gospel in many countries, and write a lot of the New Testament.
Therefore, when any of us face trials, we need to pray and look to God. We should know to trust in Him. Because God knows people's hearts and their future, we should take refuge in Him, and allow Him to work things out in His will.
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