Read
(A psalm by David for the music leader.)
A Prayer
1Rescue me from cruel
and violent enemies, Lord!
2They think up evil plans
and always cause trouble.
3 Their words bite deep
like the poisonous fangs
of a snake.
4Protect me, Lord, from cruel
and brutal enemies,
who want to destroy me.
5Those proud people have hidden
traps and nets
to catch me as I walk.
6You, Lord, are my God!
Please listen to my prayer.
7You have the power to save me,
and you keep me safe
in every battle.
8Don't let the wicked succeed
in doing what they want,
or else they might never
stop planning evil.
9They have me surrounded,
but make them the victims
of their own vicious lies.
10Dump flaming coals on them
and throw them into pits
where they can't climb out.
11Chase those cruel liars away!
Let trouble hunt them down.
12Our Lord, I know that you
defend the homeless
and see that the poor
are given justice.
13Your people will praise you
and will live with you
because they do right.
Reflect
Every afternoon when I get home I switch on the evening news. In these times, there is so much happening in our world that should bring us to tears. From the violence, to horrors of nature, to the injustice we see in our societies. Of course, I will often provide my own monologue of the events playing out on the TV and make my family aware of my opinion on how to run a country or handle a situation. The truth is, I probably wouldn’t do any better and I certainly don’t have all of the answers.
All we can really do is pray the words that David wrote in verse 6: “You, Lord, are my God! Please listen to my prayer!” The problem in all of these modern day scenarios is the heart of human beings. We, in and of ourselves, cannot be wholly good. If we believed people could be good without God, then we wouldn’t lock our doors at night. We can’t seem to provide true, pure justice because we are an unjust people.
I am so thankful that we have a perfect, holy God who can “defend the homeless and see that the poor are given justice.” When all of these things are happening around us and horrors come upon us, we can trust that God will deliver us and preserve us! For we lay claim to the promise that “Your people will praise you and will live with you because they do right” (v 13).
Respond
Father, our hearts break for those around us. We long to be delivered from the perils of this life. Help us draw nearer to you and lead those around us to you, the one true deliverer.
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.