Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Tuesday - August 19 - Tiffany

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Job 19-20; Psalm 144; Galatians 3
Today's scripture focus is Psalm 5

Psalm 5 English Standard Version (ESV)

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

Give ear to my words, O Lord;
    consider my groaning.
Give attention to the sound of my cry,
    my King and my God,
    for to you do I pray.
Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you[a] and watch.
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil may not dwell with you.
The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
    you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies;
    the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
    will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
    in the fear of you.
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies;
    make your way straight before me.
For there is no truth in their mouth;
    their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
    they flatter with their tongue.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
    let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
    for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
    let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
    you cover him with favor as with a shield.

Wow.  With all that is happening in this world, this Psalm hit me as incredibly powerful tonight (yes, tonight, sorry I'm late!)

I think most everybody, no matter where they are in life (literally in every sense of the phrase, like where they live, what station in culture they take, what age they are), can relate to verses 1 and 2. I know I've done my fair share of pleading with God to hear me.  There have been times when He has felt so distant that all I can do is cry out that He will really hear me.
The amazing thing is, He always does.  I've never once cried out to God for peace and not received it in one form or another.

Verses 4-6 and 9-10 speak of evil doers, almost as if the Psalmist is reassuring himself of what he already knows - that God delights in the righteous and despises the wicked.

But what really hit me was verse 11 and 12

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
    let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
    you cover him with favor as with a shield.

 What has happened and continues to happen in Iraq is appalling on many levels.  I find it hard to think that the persecuted families are rejoicing right now, or singing for joy. But they can. They can rejoice through the darkness that the God of all sees them, loves them, covers them. That no matter what is happening in the world, God cares for them, and protects them, though maybe not in ways that we see or understand.

 Tomorrow's scripture focus: Psalm 6
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Job 21-22; Psalm 145; Galatians 4

1 comment:

Tammy said...

So amazing that we can find joy in any circumstance - only because of Him.