Psalm 7

Psalm 7

Praise the Lord According to His Righteousness

O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; save me from all those who persecute me; and deliver me, lest they tear me like a lion . . . God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day. . . I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Psalm 7:1-2, 11 and 17, NKJV

We are in a war! This spiritual war continually goes on around us, and for the most part, we are unaware of it, and yet, we know it is there. One of the ways we do see it, is when a wrong is committed against us. How do we react? With righteous indignation? That phrase is very seldom used correctly. Are we angry because they sinned against us, or are we angry because they sinned against God? Righteous indignation means we are angry when God is attacked.

It may seem to us from David's words in Psalm 7, that he is being a bit melodramatic. Save me from all those who persecute me; and deliver me, lest they tear me like a lion, rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

Yet, when we read the accounts of David's life in the Old Testament we understand that people were, indeed, seeking his life. First he was pursued by King Saul, and later in his life, his own sons sought to steal the throne from him.

David learned that victory from his enemies, no matter who they were, must come from God Himself. Apart from God, David was helpless before even the weakest of enemies. He proclaimed in Psalm 7, verse 10, My defense is of God, who saves the upright in heart.

Have we lost that perspective in our day? We are most likely not in the same situation that David was in, as our enemies are probably not trying to seek our lives, but even so, do we understand that the only hope for us is in the Lord? Do we expect God to intercede on our behalf before those who hate and despise us, or do we believe that it is up to us to deal with the situation?

David had a close personal relationship with the Lord. Nothing in his life was kept from the Lord, but rather he spoke to God as one speaks to a closer friend. Therefore, when he found himself surrounded by the wicked, it was natural for him to go to God, knowing that God would intercede on his behalf. David knew that God is a just judge, who is angry with the wicked.

Are things so very different in the 21st century? Is God so far removed from our lives that we do not even consider spending time with the Lord, seeking His wisdom in dealing with our day to day difficulties? Do we feel that our lives are certainly much too unimportant for God to even notice?

God has included the Psalms in the Bible for this very reason. As we read of David's close relationship with the Lord, we understand that God is a personal God, concerned about all of the intimate details of our lives. How many troubles and burdens do we suffer through, without going to the Lord? No wonder we lack confidence in His ability to intercede for us. We have not learned to go to Christ with all of our concerns and problems, therefore we have not seen Him work and move in all of the little details of our lives.

James says we do not have because we do not ask, and when we ask, we ask the wrong questions. It is time that we dust off our Bibles and become intimately involved with our Lord Jesus Christ. As we read and study His Word, may our faith and confidence in our great God grow. May we find Him to be that dear Friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Pray today that God would give you the spiritual strength to put all of your circumstances into God's hand, and if there is a battle to be fought, pray to Him for victory, instead of attempting to take it into your own hands.

Next: Psalm 8, O Lord, Our Lord, How Excellent is Your Name in All the Earth

More Devotions from Psalm 7

Verses 1-5, Deliver Me

Verses 6-7, Does God Sleep?

Verses 8-10, All of God

Verses 11-13, An Angry God

Verses 14-17, What's Up With That?