Slices
Prepare
Have you ever complained about an item you bought? Chances are a complaints department will deal with your call. In this psalm, God is at the complaints desk, ready to hear your tale of woe. What complaint might you bring to him today?
Bible passage
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;
protect my life from the threat of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
from the plots of evildoers.
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
they shoot suddenly, without fear.
5 They encourage each other in evil plans,
they talk about hiding their snares;
they say, ‘Who will see it?’
6 They plot injustice and say,
‘We have devised a perfect plan!’
Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.
7 But God will shoot them with his arrows;
they will suddenly be struck down.
8 He will turn their own tongues against them
and bring them to ruin;
all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
9 All people will fear;
they will proclaim the works of God
and ponder what he has done.
10 The righteous will rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him;
all the upright in heart will glory in him!
Explore
The complaint from David is devastating: threats to his life, plotting, slander, ambushes, ganging up (vs 1–5). This persecution is so extreme that the perpetrators imagine no one knows or cares about their actions. ‘Who will see it?’ they ask (v 5).
Sometimes on social media a deeply harsh culture can develop where anonymous bullies can damage their victims, undermining confidence and even worse. It might seem to those affected that such people operate with impunity.
David takes a step back and reassures himself that even if his persecutors think they are acting invisibly, God sees. Their own weapons will be used against them (v 7), such that their slander will recoil to become their accuser (v 8).
If God sees all this, then ultimately, so will everyone. Nothing will be hidden. ‘What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs’ (Luke 12:3).
Respond
Pray: ‘Lord, may my words today be encouraging, my advice be constructive and my motivation be loving in all my interactions with people, whether I see them face to face or by any other means. Amen.’
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ezekiel 32,33; 2 Peter 1
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for God’s guidance and strength for the team of SU Korea as they redesign the ministry structure to align better with the wider church. Pray that this will result in more effective ministry.
