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1 Answer me when I call to you,
O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame ?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Selah
3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD will hear when I call to him.
4 In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices
and trust in the LORD.
6 Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?”
Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.
7 You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.
8 I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.
I crave safety. I’m the type of person who wants to feel safe everywhere I go. Secure in the knowledge that my friends won’t ditch me for the trendy new chick that just moved down the block. Safe, knowing that my boss will pay me when it’s time for me to go shopping for a friend’s birthday. Content and unafraid, knowing that my parents aren’t going to suddenly abandon me.
However, things change. People change. Chances are, some of my friends will leave me for the trendy chick with name brand clothes. As I write this, I’ve just been “dumped.” A guy I knew for years isn’t speaking to me anymore. Why? I liked him. I got close to him. We talked to each other about a lot of stuff, and spent time enjoying each other’s company. I felt safe with him, believing that our friendship was secure and that nothing was going to come between us. I was wrong.
When he got a girlfriend, things changed for the worst. He no longer sought out my company. My sense of security crumbled.
Did it hurt? Oh yes.
Many things can create a false sense of security. That friendship that’s been there since elementary school. The fact that one or more of your parents has had a steady job. Good health. Or even a fantasy. Dreams of going to the perfect college, getting the perfect job, marrying the perfect spouse, and having the perfect children.
These things won’t always be there. Fantasies have never been true. If we’ve built our trust around these things, we find ourselves holding a handful of crushed rose petals when they’re gone.
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
These things aren’t bad. It’s not a bad idea to have plans for what you’re going to do in your life. It’s not bad to be thankful that your parents have a steady job, or that you have had a strong friendship since a young age. However, these things aren’t permanent. It’s so easy to let these things become our security.
When they’re gone, we find ourselves looking for replacements to fill the empty places that are left.
And by letting these things become our security, we’ve let them become false gods to us. Appreciate them, don’t let them take the place of God.
God alone is my security. He will hear when I call to him. It’s only through him that I’ve managed thus far. I’m still recovering from having my “wall of bricks” toppled. I realized afterwards that I let the guy fill the God shaped hole in me. When our friendship was gone, I felt lost. However, I’m assured that I can lie down and sleep at night because God alone makes me dwell in safety.
1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the LORD
and against his Anointed One.
3 ”Let us break their chains,” they say,
“and throw off their fetters.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then he rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 ”I have installed my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD :
He said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.
8 Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will rule them with an iron scepter;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
You’ve heard descriptions about God and Christ as a lamb, meek and gentle. You’ve probably seen pictures of Jesus surrounded with children and flowers, his brown hair perfectly parted down the middle. Or maybe the endless pictures of him as a baby with a golden halo around his head.
IF you’ve been raised on images like that, be surprised. This psalm paints a picture of a God who looks nothing like the meek lamb we’ve seen on greeting cards. No. In contrast, this God is a God who actually laughs (v. 4) at those that conspire (v. 1) against Him. It’s not the same kind of laughter as laughing at some comic strip. The word used in verse 4 is “scoff.”
In this passage, the psalmist includes a promise and a warning from God.
Check out verses 7 to 9.
The warning comes in v. 10-12. He says that his wrath can flare up in a moment, then continues by saying, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
Make no mistake of it. This is one powerful God we serve. Yet He is also gentle to those who take refuge in Him. Don’t underestimate our God.
