Slices
Prepare
‘This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it’ (Psalm 118:24, ESV). How might you do that now?
Bible passage
For the director of music. According to mahalath. A maskil of David.
1 The fool says in his heart,
‘There is no God.’
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3 Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.
4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on God.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.
God scattered the bones of those who attacked you;
you put them to shame, for God despised them.
6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Explore
Our psalm today classes fools as those who say there is no God (v 1). Proverbs 28:26 talks about how a fool trusts in his own understanding. When foolishness pervades one’s life, the consequences can be very serious. The Psalmist talks about God putting them to shame (v 5). Was there ever a time when you said ‘there is no God’? If there was, what was it that persuaded you otherwise? What might you learn from that, as you think about being witnesses and mission in our context?
Most of us do not enjoy being called or taken for a fool, and playing an April Fool’s joke on someone can be met with a very mixed reception.
We cannot always avoid any of these things happening to us; there are sometimes people who will call us a fool for our beliefs, or our kindness, or the way we seem to live out our Christian faith.
But we are wise (v 2), not foolish, in God’s eyes, if we seek after him. What does seeking God look like for you at the moment? There may be times when we end up looking foolish to others as we do that but, ultimately, it is God’s view that matters.
Respond
Do you know anyone who categorically believes there is no God? Rather than calling them a fool, how can you be praying for them? Don’t forget yesterday’s idea of blessing others as well.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Song of Songs 3,4; 1 Timothy 4
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray that influential, open-hearted individuals burning with a passion for God’s Word will attend the premiere of German-speaking Switzerland’s Bible documentary on 14 September and will ensure a wide circulation of this important resource.
