God Speaks
David Praises and is Confident in the LORD in the Midst of Lies, Persecution, Betrayal and Violence
Verse of the Day: [We plead, O LORD,] “Bring an end to the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure–You, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts.” (Psalm 7:9 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection
Considerations regarding Psalms 7, 27, 31, 34, 52.
Psalm 7
David was being falsely accused, but instead of being defensive, he cried out to God in prayer and praise. He trusted God to vindicate him and deal with his persecuters and betrayers.
Psalm 27
Psalm 27 appears to be written from two vantage points: verses 1-6 speak about God and His work on behalf of the believer, while verses 7-14 speak to God regarding the future. Because the LORD is who He says He is and does what He says He will do, He can be trusted with everything in life. If one fears (has great reverential awe for) God, there is no need to fear anything else.
Psalm 31
Throughout this Psalm, David expresses his complete trust in God alone. It’s a great example of being strong, taking heart (courage) and hoping in the LORD.
Psalm 34
This is a psalm (song) of praise that thanks the LORD for deliverance from fear and troubles (perhaps even in the midst of them). Verses 11-14 encapsulate how a person acts who fears the LORD. Verses 15-16 relate the result.
Psalm 52
This psalm is said to be addressed to a particular person, Doeg the Edomite, who betrayed David to King Saul and personally killed eighty-five innocent people connected with someone who helped David evade the king’s search party. This psalm calls him out but ends with David praising God.
Prayer
How might I pray regarding Psalms 7, 27, 31, 34, 52?
Dear LORD God–Father, Son, and Spirit, thank You for creating human beings and for loving us despite our propensity to sin. Thank you for making it possible for us to come before You once we have been cleansed by faith in Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection on our behalf. Only as we live out that faith on a daily basis can we stand confidently before You and request protection, O Lord our God. Please save us from our persecutors and oppressors. Help! Rescue Your children. If You don’t, they will tear us apart. I don’t appeal to You on the basis of my own righteousness, but on Christ’s. He never did anything wrong. He was never guilty of injustice. He never betrayed a friend. He never plundered an enemy without cause. Because Christ Jesus paid the penalty for all my sin, for His sake don’t let my enemies capture me, trample me to the ground, or drag my honor in the dust. Arise, O LORD, and defend Your people. Wake up, O God, and bring Your justice to bear. Come, Lord Jesus, gather the nations, overrule them, judge them for how they have treated the ones You have made righteous and declared innocent. Defend the righteous by putting an end to evil and wickedness. You know who is right before You because You look deeply into every mind and heart, O righteous God. Thank You for shielding those whose hearts You have made right and true. Thank You that You are an honest judge who is angry at the wickedness You see every day. In Your time and in Your way, You will deal with those who refuse to repent. The wicked are going from bad to worse. Their evil ideologies are growing like a child in the womb, coming forth as lies and great deception and violence. Please thwart the plans of the wicked, causing them to fall into the pits they have dug to trap others. Make their schemes backfire and their violence fall back on them. I thank You, Lord, because You are just and mete out true justice. I will forever sing Your praises, O Lord Most High.
Because You, LORD, are who You say You are, and You do what You say You will do, I can trust You with everything in my life or the lives of those about whom I am concerned. You are my light to show me the way. Since I fear You, LORD God, I don’t need to fear anything else. You are the bomb shelter I can run into whenever I am in danger. So why should I be scared? Whenever my enemies come against me, You make them stumble and fall. Even a mighty army doesn’t frighten me because I find my security in You. All I need is to see You smiling at me. Being with You, delighting in You, thinking on how wonderful You are gives me the confidence I need. You, great Father God, hide me and hold me tight. When I’m with You I can freely worship and sing praises to You, O LORD. Please listen and respond when I call out to You for help. Let’s talk as a father and his beloved child. Please don’t reject me or turn Your back on me. You are the one who rescues me. Even if my human parents abandon me, I know that You never will. Hold me close; never let me go. Teach me the right way to live. Don’t let me fall into the hands of my enemies. They make all kinds of false accusations and threats of violence against me, but I can count on Your goodness to keep me alive. Help me to wait patiently, bravely, and courageously for You, LORD.
I praise You, LORD, with music and singing. It’s a new song skillfully played (by me or someone else). I’m celebrating the truth of Your word, LORD, and Your trustworthiness. The lyrics say that Your justice, goodness, and unfailing love fill the earth. You, LORD, created the vast heavens by merely speaking. You breathed out the word and galaxies of stars were formed. You set the limits for the oceans. Because of this, everything on earth should stand in fear and reverent awe of You. After all, You spoke it all into existence. No one or nothing would be here without You. You made it all and keep it all going. Besides being the great Creator, You are very wise. You thwart the plans of earthly rulers. Your loving purposes will always be fulfilled. You look down and see all that is going on in people’s lives, especially Your chosen ones. You, LORD, bless the nations that follow Your ways. You see all that is going on in every person’s heart. Mighty kings with their armies and all their equipment can’t truly rescue people and give them salvation. But You, LORD God, see all that is happening and deliver the souls that trust in You from death and famine. You are absolutely faithful. You remain reliable when everything else fails. There are two kinds of hope–hope in mankind and hope in You. Hope in man fails, while You always succeed. Who is the person who wants to really live? This is how one can recognize him or her. He/she constantly speaks Your praises, O God. Please make me someone who urges those who feel helpless or hopeless to take heart in You, LORD. I’ll talk of Your greatness and exalt Your name along with other people. I look to You for help and find joy instead of shame. You free me from all my fears. I want to radiate joy most of the time, no shadow of shame seeming to darken my face. You watch carefully over me. I have tasted and seen that God is good. Why is all this true for me? I fear the LORD. I hold Your viewpoint in high regard and want to please You. I trust You, LORD, above all else. AMEN
Action (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Psalms 7, 27, 31, 34, 52?
With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will use Psalm 7 to encourage a young friend whose father is being falsely and maliciously accused.
- I will trust in Christ’s righteousness instead of my own when speaking with God and/or asking for His protection, provision, or guidance.
- I will thank God for specific ways He has rescued me from the plans of the wicked.
- I will talk of the LORD’s greatness and exalt His name along with other people.
Share
I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.