Devotions

“O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver” (Psalm 7:1-2, ESV).

These first two verses reveal the framework for all of Psalm 7. The main theme is accusations that tear at our souls. This psalm is meant to help us overcome the wounds of an accuser, whether that is Satan or someone who opposes us. 

Lies tear at our soul like nothing else in life. This was the case with David. He had fought off bears and lions and battled giants and kings, yet rarely do we see him as distraught as he appeared in this psalm. 

David was under great duress, in pain and burdened with a deep, anguished sorrow of soul. Outwardly, he had conquered mighty nations that came against him, but this internal battle was something different. His enemies in this conflict were words, and his warfare was in his mind. 

David’s struggle speaks to anyone who has been overcome by false words spoken against them. It may seem like a small thing for a seasoned warrior to be so concerned about mere words. In reality, though, this is the type of attack that overwhelms many of us. 

Attacks against our character are a fact of life, and we need the Spirit’s presence to face them. This is a spiritual battle. Paul desired “that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11). This is why, like David, we need to bring our wounds to the Lord. If we don’t and try to bear them alone, the harm done to our soul by our accuser will keep chipping away year after year. 

What did David do with such accusations? He called out to God, “Oh, Lord my God, in you I take refuge” (Psalm 7:1). David began to sing away his pains, sorrows, struggles, and wounds, presenting them all to the Lord. When false, cruel words are formed against us, we can do the same. In those instances, we can sing to the Lord by relying on the Spirit. What a merciful gift from God. When our souls are torn apart by lies, the Helper, the Holy Spirit, delivers us.

^{This devotional has been adapted from Gary Wilkerson’s book, The Altar of Our Hearts: An Expository Devotional on the Psalms.}

Some of the godliest people have failed God miserably. One such example was David, a man after God’s heart. 

David was sorely tempted, fell into adultery, lied and then murdered an innocent man. I’m sure that when the prophet Nathan exposed him, Satan was convinced David was down for the count. He expected him to throw up his hands and say, “What’s the use? I have disgraced God. I have committed the very sins I preached against. God can never use me now. My heart is too black.”

How wrong Satan was. Listen to David’s cry after he repented. “The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death” (Psalm 118:18, NKJV). David was tempted and tried, but God did not turn him over to Satan’s power. 

Beloved, if the devil comes at you with powerful temptations, it is not always because your heart is wicked. He could be attacking you because you have turned to the Lord. He is bringing fiery trials of lust and temptation against you to try to destroy your faith. 

Paul encourages faithful believers, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

You may be discouraged because the enemy has come against you like a flood. The attack could be through temptation, lust, marriage problems or a financial crisis. You may be saying to yourself, “Here I am trying to serve the Lord. I am doing my best to be faithful to him, but things keep getting worse. Is there something wrong with me? Why do my problems keep piling up?” 

I urge you to look to your right, your left, in front of you and behind you. Everybody is going through something. Behind the smiles of your dear brothers and sisters in Christ are many tears. They are hurting with trials you know nothing about. You are not alone in your suffering, and your trial is not some strange circumstance. What you are going through is common to multitudes. Hold tight to God in prayer and remember Paul’s encouraging words, “God is faithful.” 

In Psalm 18, David wrote: “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; he heard my voice from his temple, and my cry came before him, even to his ears… He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:6, 16-19. NKJV).

Dear saint, rest assured that if you are being afflicted, it is because God delights in you. “For whom the Lord loves he chastens” (Hebrews 12:6). Your afflictions are a sign of his love. Remember, whatever you are currently enduring will pass. 

Recently, I read a passage in one of my journals that I had written while going through a great trial. Three months’ worth of entries all ended with the same phrase: “Oh, God, when will this nightmare end?” Finally, several pages later, these words appeared across a page in huge letters: “IT IS OVER. HE HAS DELIVERED!” 

Reflecting on my past trials, I can honestly say that I have learned more from my afflictions than I ever did in good times. Prosperity doesn’t teach us, but our hardships do. The humanitarian Albert Schweitzer said, “Happiness is good health and a bad memory.” No, happiness is remembering all the ways God has brought us through. 

Beloved, how are you reacting to your afflictions? Are you wasting them, becoming a doubter and complainer, or are you building up your faith, knowing that your God delivers? 

There is only one way to endure your present troubles. Remember that your heavenly Father delights in you. He has a plan at work, which is a great investment in you. “Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Remember, your Father is preparing you to be a veteran of spiritual warfare and an example of faith and trust to this generation. 

We tend to forget every good thing God has done for us. When we face new challenges, we often do not remember our deliverance from old ones. 

When David stood before Goliath, he rehearsed his past victories to build up his faith. He recounted his triumphs to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:34-36, NKJV).

Moses reminded Israel of all their past deliverances, then he warned them, “Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren” (Deuteronomy 4:9).

The Bible says of Israel, “They did not keep the covenant of God…and forgot his works and his wonders that he had shown them” (Psalm 78:10-11). 

Like the Israelites, we tend to think the same way whenever we face a new trial or affliction. We say, “Oh, God, this time it’s too much for me to face.” God answers, “Simply look back and remember me!” 

A good practice of remembrance is to keep a journal to remind yourself of God’s great deliverances in your life. Write down a few notes at night before going to bed. Do whatever it takes to remind yourself of all the things God has done for you, all the heartaches you have been through and the deliverance he brought. When your next affliction arises, open your notebook and say to the enemy, “You are not going to deceive me this time. My God brought me out before, and he will do it again.” 

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16, ESV).

This scripture was written about the spiritual state of the Laodicean church. Laodicean is a word in the dictionary that means lukewarm or indifferent. Lukewarm is right in the middle, with cold on one side and hot on the other. Jesus does not say he would like us to be hot, lukewarm or cold. No, he would rather we be cold or hot rather than lukewarm. 

When Jesus speaks of a characteristic of being hot, he is talking about being full of zeal and passion with a heart that is on fire for God. He is referring to something in us that stirs us to action. That is why he says, “I know your works.” Jesus doesn’t say, “I know your thoughts and emotions.” He says, “I know your works” because when you look at someone’s works, you have a revelation of that person’s heart. 

Many of us don’t realize how far lukewarmness is from the heart of God. This state is despicable to Jesus because it speaks of someone who is claiming to be one of his people who take on the name of Jesus and quote scripture but then behave like the world. 

A lukewarm person is somebody who claims to be a Christian but does the same things as someone who is totally cold: still getting drunk, sleeping around, taking God’s name in vain, cheating, lying and still calling himself or herself a Christian. This person becomes a ruinous testimony for Christ. 

Jesus prefers an honest testimony that says, “I’m not saved, and I’m living like it,” rather than, “I claim to be saved, but I’m not living like it.” Jesus goes on to say to the lukewarm, “Because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth.” This strong language from Jesus emphasizes how lukewarmness destroys our faith. 

The church in Laodicea was half-hearted in its Christian faith, so God was warning them that he would rejected them unless they repented. Never settle for following God halfway, but pursue Christ with zeal and a heart on fire compelled for action.