May 8, 2016
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Crying Out Against Evil

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Opening Prayer

Guiding and Loving God, may all who enter a place of worship today find You above all else.

Read Psalm 10:1-18

[1] Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? [2] In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. [3] He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD. [4] In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. [5] His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies. [6] He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.” He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.” [7] His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. [8] He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims; [9] like a lion in cover he lies in wait. He lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. [10] His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. [11] He says to himself, “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.” [12] Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. [13] Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”? [14] But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. [15] Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out. [16] The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. [17] You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, [18] defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

Recall a story of suffering you’ve heard recently. Hold it before God. “But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand” (Psa. 10:14).

How do you feel when you see the news on television or read the papers? How do you respond when there seems to be story after story about war and violence, poverty and exploitation, corruption and greed? It is tempting to despair or to close our ears, but the psalmist shows us another way.

In the first part (1-11), he details all the evil he sees in the world around him. He understands wrongdoing as being rooted in rejection of God and his ways (5); we can offend or injure our neighbor, but only against God can we sin. This then leads to abuse of others (8,9). Once we lose sight of God as the giver of all we have and fail to see our neighbor as made in the image of God, self-centered exploitation follows. The psalmist has listened and watched carefully and sees what is going on around him. It moves him to compassion, to cry out before God (14,15).

In verse 12 the psalmist’s focus changes, affirming two things the evil person has denied. First, despite all appearances, God is concerned, God is moved, God has compassion on the poor and oppressed and God hears their cry (17,18). Time after time in the gospels we see Jesus encountering those who suffer: he is moved with compassion and reaches out to them. Second, the psalmist is confident that one day God will act. He will judge and hold everyone to account for their actions. In his first coming, Jesus began this work of setting things right, bringing healing and holding evil to account. Today, as his body, we are called to continue this work, while we long for the day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord (Phil. 2:9-11).

Apply

What is your first response to suffering? To what extent do you share God’s response of compassion? Pray that God might shape you more and more after his heart.

Closing prayer

Lord God, a cynic once said that You are an ever-absent help in time of trouble. I rejoice in the truth that You are an ever-present help in time of trouble (Psa. 46:1).

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