enemies – Judy in the Sky

Read Psalm 25 – We last spoke of who God is in Psalm 24. Now, in Psalm 25, David entrusts himself to the LORD. (:1-2)

David recognizes that many are his enemy and their behavior is treacherous. David was a man of bloodshed with a life’s purpose to be king according to God’s plan. I am much more ordinary than that, yet still need a healthy awareness that those who hate Jesus are enemies. (Jesus said in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”) Beloved, we must love our enemies with wisdom and grace, not simple naivete and wishful thinking.

“Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are my God, my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” :4-5 Beloved, with this desire you will not be led astray!

David goes on, recalling God’s nature, asking for forgiveness from the sins of his youth and iniquities for God’s namesake… not David’s merits, but for God’s own namesake. David even speaks about some dark days… David is not a stranger to anxieties, but he also knows where to take them.

Beloved, can you carve out some alone time today, search your soul, as David did, and lay it before Jesus, our Savior.

Read Psalm 7 – What kind of bible do you read? There are many different translations available. I first fell in love with Jesus with a New International Study Bible(NIV). It contained lots of explanations to help me along. I now use the English Standard Version (ESV) most of the time, but sometimes I will try a passage in several different versions to really get to the heart of things. The internet has made this very easy, so if you ever get stuck or simply want a richer understanding, try a few different versions.

David is surrounded by those who wish to harm him. In his anguish, he considers if this is perhaps the result of something he did. (:3-5) It is always wise in times of calamity to search one’s heart to ensure it is clean.

With that assurance, he moves to petition, “Arise, O LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.” :6 David relies on who God is, “My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.” :10 He goes on from there to state a few wonderful attributes of the LORD.

Remember yesterday, when I said I wanted a hero? The LORD is the hero. If we look to humans we will discover that Romans 3:23 is right every time, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” There is one who never fails and never forsakes and that is Jesus Christ our LORD. May verse :17 be a light for you, whether in a storm or not – “I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.”