Help me, O Lord my God! Oh, save me according to Your mercy, that they may know that this is Your hand -- that You, Lord, have done it! I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.
--Psalm 109:26-27, 30 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on June 21, 2013 of Psalm 109:26-31; Galatians 3:1-14; 2 Kings 4:38-6:23.
In the 109th Psalm, David cries out to God for judgment over those who falsely accuse him (please see verses 1-5), apparently especially over one particular individual who David strongly curses (verses 6-20). Why does David so emphatically and graphically curse these people and ask God to judge them so harshly? Why are language and pleas that seem almost hate-filled allowed to enter the pages of God's holy word? For one, this type of writing demonstrates God's righteous judgment toward the wicked. It shows His authority over them, which may lead them to follow Him in the end. And it allows the righteous to praise the Lord for His just judgments. So out of his own love of God and hatred of sin, David calls on the Lord to punish the wicked that persecute him, and in so doing vindicate his own righteousness.
In today's focus verses, David is begging God for His help, but he puts a qualifier on the request: "according to Your mercy". David is asking the Lord, in His mercy, to save Him, but only if it is according to His will. If God would so will it, David seeks His mercy for himself over his enemies. But David doesn't leave it at that. He gives God a reason for granting his request: so that everyone, and especially his tormentors, will know that what judgment befalls them comes at the hand of God. It will be the God of all creation who pronounces His judgment over the wicked, and not by any works or feats of David. But how will the people know this? Because David promises to "greatly praise the Lord... among the multitude". He tells God he won't leave it to chance that maybe folk will figure out that God's hand was at work, but will indeed tell all the people with his mouth. He will vocally praise God for avenging the righteous.
Too many times we try to impose our will over God, asking for things there is no way He would grant because He is just and fair not only to us but to all His children. And in those times when we do ask that His will, not our will, be done and He does answer our prayer, do we remember to thank Him or do we take His goodness for granted? Or worse yet, do we think we ourselves somehow managed to answer our request with our own mortal efforts? Like David, we must ask God to act according to His will, in His mercy, and then ensure we make it known that it was His hand that answered our prayer, giving thanks to Him so that all can hear. Amen.
Merciful Father, please forgive us when we take Your generous grace for granted. Forgive us when we have the audacity to think we can impose our will over You. Forgive us when we fail to acknowledge from where all goodness comes. Thank You, Lord, for being ever faithful to us. Please help us remain faithful to You. In the holiest name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
In today's focus verses, David is begging God for His help, but he puts a qualifier on the request: "according to Your mercy". David is asking the Lord, in His mercy, to save Him, but only if it is according to His will. If God would so will it, David seeks His mercy for himself over his enemies. But David doesn't leave it at that. He gives God a reason for granting his request: so that everyone, and especially his tormentors, will know that what judgment befalls them comes at the hand of God. It will be the God of all creation who pronounces His judgment over the wicked, and not by any works or feats of David. But how will the people know this? Because David promises to "greatly praise the Lord... among the multitude". He tells God he won't leave it to chance that maybe folk will figure out that God's hand was at work, but will indeed tell all the people with his mouth. He will vocally praise God for avenging the righteous.
Too many times we try to impose our will over God, asking for things there is no way He would grant because He is just and fair not only to us but to all His children. And in those times when we do ask that His will, not our will, be done and He does answer our prayer, do we remember to thank Him or do we take His goodness for granted? Or worse yet, do we think we ourselves somehow managed to answer our request with our own mortal efforts? Like David, we must ask God to act according to His will, in His mercy, and then ensure we make it known that it was His hand that answered our prayer, giving thanks to Him so that all can hear. Amen.
Merciful Father, please forgive us when we take Your generous grace for granted. Forgive us when we have the audacity to think we can impose our will over You. Forgive us when we fail to acknowledge from where all goodness comes. Thank You, Lord, for being ever faithful to us. Please help us remain faithful to You. In the holiest name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
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