April 18: Psalm 17, 35, 54, 63

April 18, Psalm 17, 35, 54, 63

Psalm 17 When you are being attacked by a worldly enemy, this song or Psalm is for you to pray. David presents to God his case and plea for justice. God is the only One that can vindicate. David, under attack, asks God to test his heart and then David turns to praising God for who He is. As a father, when I read David’s plea that God would keep him as the apple of His eye, it warms my heart. To think about how I truly love my children, who are the apples of my eye - to only consider that when I feel that way about my kids it pails in comparison to the love that the Father has for us!. David’s enemies have hardened their hearts and David leaves it up to God to deal with them - but David will continue to seek God looking forward to being with Him forever.

Psalm 35 We read about God, the Divine Defender again! God is David’s (and our) Savior and Salvation. Our enemies will attempt to triumph, but they cannot fully because we are God’s chosen. His prayer is that his enemies will fall into the traps that they have set for him, and David will praise God for it! His enemies don’t speak peace, but vileness and deceit is what they are about. God will be the Vindicator, not you.

Psalm 54 This Psalm is in reference to when David was hiding among the Ziphites (1 Samuel 23) and they told Saul where he was at. This is truly a prayer for the persecuted. David is crying out for God to save him and hear his prayer for help. Why? Because God is His Helper and Deliverer.

Psalm 63 Confidence during hardship is what we can have when we trust in God, David did.  We hear the heart of David here, exclaiming that worshipping God is a gift. At David’s core, he yearns for intimacy with Yahweh, because God’s steadfast love is better than life. We too can and should live this way. We can also live with the anticipation of future worship as we will be completely satisfied in the arms of a loving God.

To sum it all up:

• Even when your enemy is pursuing you, continue to seek God looking forward to being with Him forever. That is the promise for the righteous because of what God has done for us, not what we can do for Him. 
• Are you currently in a battle? Who or what is your enemy? Maybe you don't have any. If that is the case, then pray for your brother and sisters who are being persecuted locally and globally. If you are in a battle right now, remember that God will be the Vindicator, not you. You stay faithful!
• God is our helper and He is the only one that can save!
• Do you confidently expect God to rescue you, or is that just lip service?
• Always know that God is there for you. Trust him and pursue Him not, sin