Safe… but Afraid?
Opening Prayer
God, I put my trust in You today as I meet You in Your Word.
Read Psalm 125
1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.
3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
for then the righteous might use
their hands to do evil.
4 Lord, do good to those who are good,
to those who are upright in heart.
5 But those who turn to crooked ways
the Lord will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be on Israel.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How safe do you feel? What threatens that feeling?As they make their way to one of the annual festivals, pilgrims would have sung this psalm. They were walking towards Jerusalem or Mount Zion, a city that was ringed with mountains and was itself a hilltop fortress, secure and unshakable (1,2).
But what mattered more than geography was that this was the place where God’s people lived, and he surrounded them (2). Their security depended on God. That’s why “those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion” (1). They are enveloped by his eternal care and providence. And yet, there seems to be a threat (3). The rule of the wicked hovers
over God’s people. It won’t remain, but it’s there now. Perhaps the“scepter of the wicked” is one of the many armies that surrounded Jerusalem and wanted to wipe it out. Perhaps it was one of the many ungodly kings who ruled God’s people and dragged them down with him.
God’s people even today feel the tension of living between the safety of God’s promises to them (1,2), and the evil they experience (3). Unless God limits evil, even the righteous will be tempted to take matters into their own hands and be lured to do wrong (3b).
Apply
Reread verses 1,2. Close your eyes and picture the imagery described. Keep that picture in your mind as you continue in your day.
Closing prayer
Whether the evil you face is external or internal, pray that God would judge and restrain evil, and protect all who walk in his ways.
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