February 6, 2023
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 evil or plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust.
Arise, 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 righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. (Psalm 7:1-8)
In Psalm chapter seven, David, the author, cried out to the Lord for help! It was a loud cry for help as David was amidst some profoundly severe troubles. We can all understand or relate to David when experiencing problems, disruptions caused by others, and situations we may have brought on ourselves. This psalm shows us what to do when facing troubles, “O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge” (v.1a). No matter what David was experiencing, he had unwavering confidence in God while experiencing trouble.
As we read (Psalm 7:1-8) is there an application for us? Our first focus must be on the Lord. He is our defender, and we must trust in His judicial sovereignty (vs. 6-8) says, “Arise, 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.” We can have confidence that God will do His job. As we focus on God, we must also look within. Our roaring cry may be from the self-inflicted pain, “O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands” (v. 3). We must be honest with the Lord and ourselves. We may need to be delivered from ourselves, and repentance is the required response. In all situations, we can trust in God for our deliverance. He can save us from our troubles, even our self-inflicted wounds and our sins. He is always faithful. Would you pray with me?
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for remaining even when others leave and abandon me. Thank You that even when the ones I thought would be around me choose to go, I can always trust that You will stand with me.
Father, I come to You with my cares and my worries. Please remind me that I am not alone. Father, thank You for standing with me every day. Thank You that I can trust You to rescue me from every trial I face. For it is in Your Precious Name, I ask. Amen.
Encouraging Words from Max Lucado: To place our feet in the basin of Jesus is to put the filthiest parts of our lives into His Hands. In the ancient East, people’s feet were caked with mud and dirt. The servant of the feast saw to it that the feet were cleaned. Jesus is assuming the role of the servant. He will wash the grimiest part of your life if you let Him.
The water of the Servant comes only when we confess that we are dirty. Only when we acknowledge that we are caked with filth, have walked on forbidden trails, and followed the wrong paths…
We will never be cleansed until we confess we are dirty. We will never be pure until we admit we are filthy. And we will never be able to wash the feet of those who have hurt us until we allow Jesus, the One we have hurt, to wash ours.
“Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him” (John 13:5)
God Bless you, Friends, and have a Blessed Day <><
Thoughts by Randall Stapleton is a Daily Devotion brought to you by The Bridge - Learn more at https://wearethebridge.org
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