Read
(A psalm by David for the music leader.)
Celebrate
1Listen to my concerns, God,
and protect me
from my enemies' threats.
2Keep me safe from secret plots
of corrupt and evil gangs.
3Their words cut like swords,
and their cruel remarks
sting like sharp arrows.
4They fearlessly ambush
and shoot innocent people.
5They are determined to do evil,
and they tell themselves,
“Let's set traps!
No one can see us.”
6They make evil plans and say,
“We'll commit a perfect crime.
No one knows our thoughts.”
7But God will shoot his arrows
and quickly wound them.
8They will be destroyed
by their own words,
and everyone who sees them
will tremble with fear.
9They will be afraid and say,
“Look at what God has done
and keep it all in mind.”
Reflect
“Lord have mercy! Christ have mercy! Lord, have mercy on us!”
I uttered those words as I read the horrendous details of the September 2013 shopping mall massacre in Nairobi, Kenya. One bright, sunny day terrorists stormed the mall, shooting and throwing grenades. Over four days they tortured and killed more than 70 people and injured more than 200 men, women and children. So many innocent lives destroyed.
Such atrocity is unfathomable. We cry out, unable to bear the intensity of such pain and suffering, another example in a long list of inhumanity through the ages.
It’s nothing new. Even David wrote of “terrible enemies” and “secret plots of corrupt and evil gangs…who ambush and shoot innocent people.” Even then, and long before, terror was rife.
And so the psalmist turns to the only One who can stop the madness. God alone has the power to destroy those bent on such evil. David doesn’t know when or how; he can’t answer the age old question of “Why?” But he recognizes God cries along with his people. He clings to the promise that one day there will be celebration again. Death and terror will not win.
The prophet Isaiah, writing after David’s reign and during a time rife with its own atrocities, reminds us:
“On this mountain
the Lord All-Powerful
will prepare for all nations
a feast of the finest foods.
Choice wines and the best meats
will be served.
Here the Lord will strip away
the burial clothes that cover the nations.
The Lord All-Powerful
will destroy the power of death
and wipe away all tears.
No longer will his people
be insulted everywhere.
The Lord has spoken!
At that time, people will say,
“The Lord has saved us!
Let’s celebrate.
We waited and hoped—
now our God is here.”
(Isaiah 25:6-9)
Respond
All powerful God, you hear our cries for deliverance. You bind up the wounds of the brokenhearted and bring joy to those who are hurting. Help us to be your instruments of peace. Don’t let us turn away in indifference, but to offer what help we can to those suffering here at home and around the world. Come soon, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Kelly Rempel
Kelly Rempel is a wife, mother of two, writer and Jesus-follower. She lives in Winnipeg, MB where she is developing her passion for introducing children and their families to Jesus in her role as Family Ministry Director at Braeside Evangelical Church. She formerly served as the Senior Editor for ChristianWeek, a national publication focused on Christian faith and life in Canada (and beyond). She grew up in northern B.C., obtained her journalism diploma at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, and attended Bethany Bible Institute (now Bethany College) in Hepburn, SK, before moving to Winnipeg. In her spare time, Kelly enjoys trying her hand at various creative pursuits.