Fountain of Life
Opening Prayer
Praise God this way: “May the peoples praise You, O God. Yes, may all the peoples praise You” (Psa. 67:3).
Read Psalm 36:1-12
[1] For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. [2] In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. [3] The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. [4] Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong. [5] Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. [6] Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals. [7] How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. [8] They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. [9] For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. [10] Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. [11] May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. [12] See how the evildoers lie fallen- thrown down, not able to rise! Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
How does David describe the ungodly?The psalmist has a God-given picture of what the unrighteous are really like. It is a grim vision, and even 3,000 years later, his picture is unhappily accurate: they have no respect for God; today, they dismiss the Christian faith as fairy tales or superstition (1b). They cannot see that anything they do is sinful. Petty theft, casual sex or violence–so what (2)? What they say cannot be trusted. They are devious and deceitful (3). They cannot tell the difference between right and wrong. Their only moral guidance is pursuing what they want. After this very accurate depiction of those without God, the psalmist continues with a beautiful poetic description of God’s love (5-9). If these words sound familiar it is because hymn and song writers have always found them inspirational. He ends with a prayer (10-12) for the continuance of God’s love to all who know him and who “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7). In Christ, we know we can pray for all people because we know that God loves all humans, whether or not they know him.
Apply
Who can you pray for today who doesn’t yet know God? Make a commitment to pray for them regularly.
Closing prayer
Lord, what a loving God You are! I know Your great love and I want to help others know it, too.
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