Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 109:1-7
Ps 109:1-7
O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, for wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship. Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him.
Matt 5:11-12
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
There were people who opposed Moses. There were those who fought against David and Jesus had those who killed him. No matter how humble we are, no matter how much we try to do the will of God, there will be those who oppose us and who will work against us. We will be falsely accused and we will be lied about when we seek to serve the Lord. But how will we react to all of this?
If you had grown up reading the Psalms and you had heard these words of taking vengeance and asking God’s retribution toward others, the words of Jesus would have seemed almost blasphemy. At best the, teaching of Jesus was revolutionary and suspect of being really from God. In the Psalm, it is as if God is saying that we should really try to get even but Jesus says we are to count it as being blessed when we are mistreated and even persecuted. Has God changed his mind?
We live in a different relationship with God in many ways since ours is not a physical nation of God’s people. Our King is Jesus and our relationship is spiritual, so our battles are spiritual battles and not with guns or swords. We bless instead of retaliate. We forgive instead of being bitter or hateful. We love, even when we are mistreated. So, we ask God to be merciful to our enemies and we pray that they will come to recognize Jesus as Lord and become a part of our family.
Lord God, give me a loving heart and a spirit of forgiveness. Help me focus on things that are beautiful, things that are wonderful, things that are wholesome, and things that are positive. Help me focus on Jesus and set my mind on things that are above, where he is seated at your right hand. Give me a servant attitude in all things so I will remember that my task is to do your will and to bring honor to you in all things. Give me your wisdom and empower me with your Spirit. Use me to help others serve you. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus my Lord.
Robert
