Day #174
Scripture Reading: Psalms 140 - 142 …
Few emotions weigh on the human soul as much as
loneliness. In the very beginning God said of Adam, "It is not
good that the man should be alone. I will make a helper suitable for
him" (Genesis 2:18). In our world today, with all of our modern
technology and various means of communication, people seem more
"alone" than ever. It may not be a physical aloneness, but
rather a spiritual one. Any of us can reach a point where our thoughts
revolve only around ourselves, and at times like that the evil one can tempt us
into feeling sorry for ourselves or convincing ourselves that no one else cares
… we are ALONE!
It is in the midst of those moments that the words
of the Psalmist remind us that we who know the living God are never alone
because He is always with us. He is
willing and able to protect us from those who stand against us and from the
storms that life brings our way. It is that protection that David is
relying on in Psalm 140. "Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men;
protect me from men of violence, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir
up war every day" (140:1-2). Evil doesn't take a holiday!
Those who overlook evil, or deny that it exists within the human heart,
are either blind or foolish or both. God's Word and human experience
combine to reveal the truth that evil resides in us by nature. Were it
not for the grace of God and the work of His Spirit within us, we would be slaves
to sin all our lives. It is interesting that people will admit
"sin," but resist the idea that sin IS evil!
God changes all of that for those who know Him and
who are controlled by His Spirit. Even in the Old Testament, prior to the
pouring out of His Spirit at Pentecost, God worked in some people like David
and empowered them to resist the temptation toward idolatry and other
rebellious behavior. Clearly, however, they were still affected by that old
nature within them and sought protection from the God who was with him, who
could deliver him, even from the enemy within. "O LORD, I say to
You, 'You are my God.' Hear, O LORD, my cry for mercy. O Sovereign LORD,
my strong Deliverer …" (140:6-7). David was King of Israel,
with the mightiest army in the world, yet he relied upon GOD's strength and
protection in his struggle against evil.
Where do you find your protection? When
facing trouble, is it God towards whom you turn? David's prayer
concerning the destruction of the wicked seems out-of-place, yet he wrote in
Psalm 139, verse 21: "Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against You?" Like David, we need to
honor God and stand opposed to those who slander His Name. It is not that
God needs us to defend Him, but He CALLS us to exalt His Name and to honor Him.
We are not engaged in some children's game. We are in a spiritual
battle between good and evil, between God and the spiritual forces of evil in
the heavenly (spiritual) realms! So David exclaims, "SURELY the
righteous will praise Your Name and the upright will live before You" (140:13).
So he calls on the Lord to help him. We often
fail to realize that the circumstances of life tend to present us with many
temptations … temptations that when given into cause US pain because they take
our eyes off of God and His truth. David recognized these temptations and
so he prays, "O LORD, I call to You; come quickly to me …
Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil" (141:3-4).
When was the last time you prayed like that? Have you EVER prayed
like that?! Such a prayer comes from the heart of one whose desire is to
please God.
David is willing to have a "righteous
man … rebuke" him (141:5). Yet he boldly declares that
his "prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers" (141:6).
There is a distinction between those who live to please the Lord and
those who don't. When tempted to gaze upon evil, David states, "But
my eyes are fixed on You, O Sovereign LORD; in YOU I take refuge - do not give
me over to death" (141:8). Such confidence and hope in the Lord
comes only when you and I have an intimate relationship with Him through faith
in Jesus. Those who do not know God's love and forgiveness in Christ will
never draw near to God for help in times of trouble. You must believe,
you must KNOW that you are NOT alone, that He IS with you and will never leave
you alone, even for a moment!
From a place of desperation, David could "cry
aloud to the LORD … " and "lift up my voice to the LORD
for mercy" (142:1). He told the Lord of his troubles (He already
knew them!), and confessed, "when my spirit grows faint within me, it
is YOU who know my way" (142:3). What a comfort for us who
know the LORD as our God today! "I cry to You, O LORD; I say,
'YOU are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living'" (142:5).
You can be totally honest with God: "Listen to my cry, for
I am in desperate need; … Set me free from my prison, that I may praise
Your Name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of Your
goodness to me" (142:7).
That must be our goal: to praise God in the
midst of the struggle, believing, knowing, testifying that He is all I need …
HE is enough. God must be enough in
those moments when you find yourself facing that temptation to believe you are
alone. Know God's love for you in Jesus Christ and share that love with
those around you. Take down the shields, come out from behind the walls
that have imprisoned you and experience the freedom that Jesus gives to those
who come to Him for protection and deliverance. He will never fail you as
you set your eyes on Him, "the Author and Perfecter of your faith"
(Hebrews 12:2).
"Heavenly Father, it is to You that David
came, and it is to You that I come today, asking for protection and deliverance
from temptation and evil. I praise Your Name, O LORD my God, and come
near to You with confidence through faith in Your Son Jesus Christ, my
Redeemer. Give me wisdom and grace to rest in Your arms and to stand
boldly against the evil all around me … and at times still within me.
Thank You for the victory that overcomes the world through the power of
Your Spirit, for greater is He that is in ME, than he that is in the world.
In Jesus' name, Amen"
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