In The Word
Read: Psalms 55
Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.
For the music director; on stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.
55 Listen to my prayer, God;
And do not hide Yourself from my pleading.
2 Give Your attention to me and answer me;
I am restless in my complaint and severely distracted,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the pressure of the wicked;
For they bring down trouble upon me
And in anger they hold a grudge against me.
4 My heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 Behold, I would flee far away,
I would spend my nights in the wilderness. Selah
8 I would hurry to my place of refuge
From the stormy wind and heavy gale.”
9 Confuse them, Lord, divide their tongues,
For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And evil and harm are in her midst.
11 Destruction is in her midst;
Oppression and deceit do not depart from her streets.
12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me,
Then I could endure it;
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13 But it is you, a man my equal,
My companion and my confidant;
14 We who had sweet fellowship together,
Walked in the house of God among the commotion.
15 May death come deceitfully upon them;
May they go down alive to Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.
16 As for me, I shall call upon God,
And the Lord will save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and moan,
And He will hear my voice.
18 He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me,
For they are many who are aggressive toward me.
19 God will hear and humiliate them—
Even the one who sits enthroned from ancient times— Selah
With whom there is no change,
And who do not fear God.
20 He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;
He has violated his covenant.
21 His speech was smoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.
22 Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
23 But You, God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction;
Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days.
But I will trust in You.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Sometimes even the people closest to us can let us down. In Mark, Chapter 8, Peter receives a revelation from God when he proclaims that Jesus is the Christ. However just a few verses down, we hear the Lord say to Peter, “…get behind me satan.” Psalm 55:2-3 speaks of David feeling distracted by the voice of the enemy. Jesus may have felt that way when Peter set his mind on what pleased Peter, and not what pleased God.
Of course, we all remember that Judas, one of the Lord’s inner circle of twelve, betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver. Psalm 55: 3-8 talks about David being under the pressure of the wicked, his heart in anguish, fear and trembling upon him and horror overwhelming him. The Lord probably had some of those same thoughts as He prayed in the Garden of Gesthemane that the cup He was about to drink be removed.
When we face circumstances where we have these same feelings, we need to remember to do what both the Lord and David did. Psalm 55:16 says, “As for me, I shall call upon the Lord.” Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you.”
Don’t let anything distract you from what pleases God. No matter who lets you down, don’t focus on the circumstance. Instead, focus on the One who is in control of the circumstance. He will save you.