Psalm 5, The Shield of God's Favor

For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.

Listen to my words, Lord,

    consider my lament.

Hear my cry for help,

    my King and my God,

    for to you I pray.

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;

    in the morning I lay my requests before you

    and wait expectantly.

For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;

    with you, evil people are not welcome.

The arrogant cannot stand

    in your presence.

You hate all who do wrong;

    you destroy those who tell lies.

The bloodthirsty and deceitful

    you, Lord, detest.

But I, by your great love,

    can come into your house;

in reverence I bow down

    toward your holy temple.

Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness

    because of my enemies—

    make your way straight before me.

Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;

    their heart is filled with malice.

Their throat is an open grave;

    with their tongues they tell lies.

Declare them guilty, O God!

    Let their intrigues be their downfall.

Banish them for their many sins,

    for they have rebelled against you.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad;

    let them ever sing for joy.

Spread your protection over them,

    that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;

    you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

 

Father God, thank you that I can wait expectantly for your answers to my prayers. Lord, I know you hate evil, but in my heart, I want to be righteous before you. Thank you that you will lead me in your righteousness, and please shield me with your favor. 

John 10:1-10 Grace and Truth

Verse 10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

 

The Thief, Satan, comes only to steal and kill and destroy. His purpose is to make our lives and our eternities hell. That is no surprise to most of us.

 

But what about the rest of verse 10? Jesus came to give us life, full, abundant life.

 

How often do I think about that?

 

What is the abundance of life Jesus wants to give to me?

 

In verse 9, he says I will be able to go in and out and find pasture. To me that says that as I stay close to Jesus, not only will I have my needs met, but also I have freedom to move about and find even more of what is available to me in life.

 

Verses 3-5: The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.

 

Jesus knows us so well, he calls us by our names. He wants us to recognize his voice, and he promises to lead us. The closer we stay to him, and the more we listen to what he says to us, the harder it will be to hear the voice of any who want to steal and destroy us.

 

Jesus, you want to keep me safe from those who would harm me. Teach me to listen to you and to open my eyes to the lavish delights of life you want to give me.