PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Psalm 17
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face!” (Psalm 17:15)
David is under attack by cruel, heartless people, though he is innocent.
David is not declaring sinless perfection, but that he doesn’t deserve this.
He is working on the assumption that God will protect him if he lives a good life.
I wonder if many christians, especially in the western church, think this way.
When life is good, and we try to be good, it is easy to feel we deserve it.
When other people struggle, we assume they must have done something to deserve it.
It all works out so neatly, until we face a struggle or crisis ourselves.
It is not wrong to trust in the Lord, and to commit to doing good.
But this psalm shows us that life does not always go easy for such people.
Jesus himself experienced this, and he trusted God and did good fully!
We live in a cruel, messed up world, where good and bad people can suffer.
Sin is in all of us, and the curse of evil affects all of us.
To trust in Jesus and to commit to doing good does not guarantee an easy life.
But it does give us the assurance that this path will eventually lead us to Jesus.
PRAYER
Lord, I want to hang on to you through good and hard times, and I want to do good whether it is easy or not. But I will admit, I long for the day when I will see your face!
Don’t manipulate the Lord! Be completely honest before Him! You can’t hide – you have to come to the Lord in spirit and in truth – all honesty. I’ve heard of people who made ‘deals’ with the Lord – if God will do this for me – then I will serve Him. Like Hannah asking God for a child and then committing that child to God’s purpose. I think that is the kind of deal that God is pleased with. But is it testing God. Will I still believe and follow even with God answers differently? That is the test. God does not answer to me – I have to be open like Hannah – to be honest and share my heart which is what she did. I treasure these words: “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings” Lord may you see me as the apple of your eye – the pupil – the center- I love you and want to serve you more and more!
This Psalm also reminds me of Job, a righteous and upright man who suffered. His friends told him that the suffering was because of his sin. Remember the blind man, blind from birth? Jesus said it was not the result of his parents nor him for the blindness but that the Lord may be glorified. I need to walk with the Lord each day praising Him for He will see me through the good and the bad. He will lift me up and save me. Trust and obey.
Not a burden we bear,
not a sorrow we share,
but our toil he doth richly repay;
not a grief or a loss,
not a frown or a cross,
but is blest if we trust and obey.