1 Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men,
2 Who plan evil things in their hearts; They continually gather together for war.
3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; The poison of asps is under their lips.
4 Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from violent men, Who have purposed to make my steps stumble.
5 The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords; They have spread a net by the wayside; They have set traps for me. Selah
6 I said to the LORD: “You are my God; Hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD.
7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; Do not further his wicked scheme, Lest they be exalted. Selah
9 “As for the head of those who surround me, Let the evil of their lips cover them;
10 Let burning coals fall upon them; Let them be cast into the fire, Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
11 Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.”
12 I know that the LORD will maintain The cause of the afflicted, And justice for the poor.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence.
Devotional Reading
Have you ever been told the reason an ostrich hides its head in the sand is because it is frightened? If you have and you believe it, you have been led astray. They do, however, run in circles when they are frightened.
And the male ostrich will dig a hole that is six feet by eight feet for the female ostrich to lay her eggs in. This is where the fable of the ostrich hiding its head seems to have come from.
There are times, however, when most of us “feel” like hiding our heads underneath a pillow or standing behind an object where no one can see us.
Often we are filled with a sense of inadequacy or “beneath others” because everyone seems to have more than we do or be more than we are. Or, perhaps, we feel “poor” in the sense that we have not been blest by God as much as others.
David had a solution for this “feeling”: “I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor; and upholds the cause of the needy.” In other words, David wants us to know that things are like they are because God designed them as they are for His purpose.
If we feel poor – or lacking, – God will “make things right” because He is ultimately responsible for everyone being treated rightly and with justice. Our God is a just God and will not allow His own to suffer unfairly. He is at work working His will.
David also wrote that “God will uphold the needy.” It may be that when our needs exceed our resources He is trying to get our attention to trust Him. His love always surrounds us as His plan to make us Christlike unfolds.
Prayer: Lord, when things aren’t right it does not mean that You are treating us wrong. It means it’s time to trust You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Source: Guido Ministries Seeds of Hope Devotionals by Dr. Larry Guido @www.sowerministries.org. Used with permission.
Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright ©1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Image credit: Philstar.com
Your free premium contents are in the download box below. Login to download. Lifetime downloads access and updates by becoming an Amen Vault Worship Tools subscriber.
To download, just click the ellipsis icon (three dots) next to the file and click download. If you are not seeing the download links below, login to your My Account first to be able to get the free premium files.
Subscribe to Amen Vault and download everything here.
Share this Bible reading. Sharing our links through your social media will boost our traffic and will help more churches and worship leaders like you. An appreciation or commendation comment below is highly appreciated. Thank you.