Thoughts and Prayers
(ESV)
The Lord Will Not Forsake His People
94 O Lord, God of vengeance,
O God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth;
repay to the proud what they deserve!
3 O Lord, how long shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour out their arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O Lord,
and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the sojourner,
and murder the fatherless;
7 and they say, “The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
8 Understand, O dullest of the people!
Fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?
He who teaches man knowledge—
11 the Lord—knows the thoughts of man,
that they are but a breath.[a]
12 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,
13 to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who frame[b] injustice by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.[c]
22 But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will bring back on them their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will wipe them out.
This has been an extremely hard week. We are all still processing the aftermath of what happened in Las Vegas. I'm angry that there are people who can think of and put into action such evil. And then there's the response, people are desperate for solutions, yet it seems as though going to God is becoming less and less popular.
It's upsetting to me, that "thoughts and prayers" is getting mocked, yet I get the frustration. I imagine for several, saying "thoughts and prayers" is the extent of their thoughts.
When I read, Psalm 94, I find it to be a good model for our own thoughts and prayers, especially when we have to deal with the adversity at the hand of our enemies. The psalmist proclaims the sovereignty and strength of the Lord. Saying he is a vengeful God. Asking and praying for the Lord to shine forth!
The psalmist isn't feeling helpless as if God isnt capable, rather he dwells on the mightyness of God. The psalmist addresses the enemies as well as those who speak against and mock the Lord. And finally he goes back to proclaiming that God is our rock and refuge.
If our thoughts and prayers looked more like Psalm 94, I believe our faith and participation as believers would be greater. We'd be better witnesses to the unbeliever and we would be a light and blessing to the victims, and ultimately we'd be closer to our Lord.
Pray: God you are King. You are eternal whereas we are nothing but a breath compared to you... Yet you love us and long for us. You are our mighty King and champion. A champion that we stand proud of even when people mock you or people commit evil acts against your people. We trust you will have judgement on them, and that you are a just God. We trust you that you are good and have a plan greater than our own. I pray these things in Jesus' name.
The Lord Will Not Forsake His People
94 O Lord, God of vengeance,
O God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth;
repay to the proud what they deserve!
3 O Lord, how long shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour out their arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O Lord,
and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the sojourner,
and murder the fatherless;
7 and they say, “The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
8 Understand, O dullest of the people!
Fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?
He who teaches man knowledge—
11 the Lord—knows the thoughts of man,
that they are but a breath.[a]
12 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,
13 to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who frame[b] injustice by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.[c]
22 But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will bring back on them their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will wipe them out.
This has been an extremely hard week. We are all still processing the aftermath of what happened in Las Vegas. I'm angry that there are people who can think of and put into action such evil. And then there's the response, people are desperate for solutions, yet it seems as though going to God is becoming less and less popular.
It's upsetting to me, that "thoughts and prayers" is getting mocked, yet I get the frustration. I imagine for several, saying "thoughts and prayers" is the extent of their thoughts.
When I read, Psalm 94, I find it to be a good model for our own thoughts and prayers, especially when we have to deal with the adversity at the hand of our enemies. The psalmist proclaims the sovereignty and strength of the Lord. Saying he is a vengeful God. Asking and praying for the Lord to shine forth!
The psalmist isn't feeling helpless as if God isnt capable, rather he dwells on the mightyness of God. The psalmist addresses the enemies as well as those who speak against and mock the Lord. And finally he goes back to proclaiming that God is our rock and refuge.
If our thoughts and prayers looked more like Psalm 94, I believe our faith and participation as believers would be greater. We'd be better witnesses to the unbeliever and we would be a light and blessing to the victims, and ultimately we'd be closer to our Lord.
Pray: God you are King. You are eternal whereas we are nothing but a breath compared to you... Yet you love us and long for us. You are our mighty King and champion. A champion that we stand proud of even when people mock you or people commit evil acts against your people. We trust you will have judgement on them, and that you are a just God. We trust you that you are good and have a plan greater than our own. I pray these things in Jesus' name.
Amen
BONUS SONG I came across and had to share!
Psalm 94 by Sons of Korah
Comments
Post a Comment