Read
(A song for worship.)
A Prayer
1When I am in trouble, I pray,
2“Come and save me, Lord,
from deceitful liars!”
3What punishment is fitting
for you deceitful liars?
4Your reward should be
sharp and flaming arrows!
5But I must live as a foreigner
among the people of Meshech
and in the tents of Kedar.
6I have spent too much time
living among people
who hate peace.
7I am in favor of peace,
but when I speak of it,
all they want is war.
Reflect
I remember a time in my life when I was somewhat disconnected from my local church. I didn’t seem to be engaging in fellowship, and wasn’t as active in serving. I don’t know that I would call it backsliding, but between work and the many other things I had going on it was more difficult to be involved.
During this time I was surrounded by some of my other friends who were not believers. It didn’t take long for me to get tired of the language they used, the topics of conversation they enjoyed, and the activities they liked to participate in. I often felt like they weren’t being completely honest with me, and oftentimes it seemed like they just wanted to argue about things.
It is quite a remarkable thing to recognize the difference between being around those who love the Lord and those who don’t. The psalmist seems to have experienced something that we are all too familiar with. Sometimes we don’t quite know what’s going on; but it is a fact that the Spirit of God changes things. When we are around God’s people (though never perfect), we seem to have a common factor in how we live our lives – bringing glory to God.
When it feels like those around you are deceiving you and only wanting to cause war, evaluate your status with a local group of believers. God has provided a way for us to be delivered from these things and it’s called the local church. So rejoice, my friends, for he has an answer.
Respond
Lord, help us when we are caught up in a group of people who only seem to want to make war, lie, and deceive. Help us find a good local church where we can be encouraged and strengthened in your Word with other believers.
J. R. Bucklew
J.R. Bucklew is a visionary with ideas that are quickly becoming the standard in other parts of the world. Born a hearing child of deaf parents (CODA), his first language growing up was American Sign Language (ASL), and he still considers ASL his heart language. He has a strong desire for the Deaf community to know and understand the Word of God. This has allowed him to travel to many parts of the world, both ministering to and being an advocate for the Deaf. Prior to coming to Albuquerque, NM, JR and his wife ministered to the Deaf in Ethiopia. They started a Deaf church and opened a café that exclusively employed Deaf people. They also formed two sign language centers and helped train others to work with the Deaf. JR’s journey with Deaf Bible began in 2012 and is now President and visionary-lead of the Deaf Bible Society. JR also serves on the boards of several other Deaf ministries in the United States.