Slices
Prepare
Where do you put your trust? What do you rely on to get you through the day?
Bible passage
For the director of music. To the tune of ‘Do Not Destroy’. Of David. A miktam. When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
be my fortress against those who are attacking me.
2 Deliver me from evildoers
and save me from those who are after my blood.
3 See how they lie in wait for me!
Fierce men conspire against me
for no offence or sin of mine, Lord.
4 I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
Arise to help me; look on my plight!
5 You, Lord God Almighty,
you who are the God of Israel,
rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
show no mercy to wicked traitors.
6 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
7 See what they spew from their mouths –
the words from their lips are sharp as swords,
and they think, ‘Who can hear us?’
8 But you laugh at them, Lord;
you scoff at all those nations.
9 You are my strength, I watch for you;
you, God, are my fortress,
10 my God on whom I can rely.
God will go before me
and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
11 But do not kill them, Lord our shield,
or my people will forget.
In your might uproot them
and bring them down.
12 For the sins of their mouths,
for the words of their lips,
let them be caught in their pride.
For the curses and lies they utter,
13 consume them in your wrath,
consume them till they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob.
14 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
15 They wander about for food
and howl if not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
you, God, are my fortress,
my God on whom I can rely.
Explore
Today’s psalm follows a similar theme to last week’s Psalm 58 (in fact, they are both sung to the same tune). The situation David is facing continues (v 1,2). Not only are his enemies doing wicked things, but they are lying in wait for him (v 3). What must have been frustrating is that he has not transgressed or sinned, yet he is drawing their aggression (v 4). How do you respond when you are experiencing attacks through no fault of your own?
Yet, for David, there is peace and strength (v 9), and it comes from God and his steadfast love (v 10). While everything around David is falling apart and there’s no place or people he can rely on, he can turn to God who is his fortress and whom he can completely depend on and rely on.
When life is relentless, when we’re emotionally drained from being on our guard all the time, when people let us down and when we can find little peace even at home, we can rely on God to be our fortress and our strength (v 16). Amid the pain, he is there for us and will not let us down, in the same way he did not let David down (vs 16,17).
Respond
Bring your worries and concerns to God, asking for his peace and strength to fill you. Ask for his help to keep your eyes fixed on him amid hardships.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Jeremiah 17,18; John 7
Pray for Scripture Union
SU Egypt ask us to pray that God will guide the translation team for the Arabic ESV Study Bible as they finalise content for release in late 2026/early 2027. Pray too for rich digital content and church approval for their new youth Bible.
