Psalms Ch.11-20

Psalm 12 is a call for protection against those who try to manipulate us. Have you felt the negative energy and manipulation of others who try to belittle your spirit or indirectly hope for the worst for you? Or even in relationships; do you live upright in your moral code and have the opposite sex try and manipulate you so they can take something from you? “Help, Lord, for the godly are no more’ the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception. ‘Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,’ says the Lord. ‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’ And the words of the Lord are flawless.”(Psalm 12:1-6) God does not overlook lies, flattery, boasting or deception. Each of these sins originates from a bad attitude that is expressed through words. God warns us to guard our tongues; though a small in comparison to our bodies; it can cause the most damage. Being truthful and sincere are so valuable because it is so rare in our society.

Psalm 13 encourages us to continue to trust in God even when we don’t hear an answer right away. “How long, O Lord? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts? How long will my enemy triumph over me? My foes will rejoice when I fall…But I trust in your unfailing love; I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.”(Psalm 13:1-6) We often feel similar impatience as David did here. Suffering and evil doing seems to go unchecked and we may wonder when God will address the issue. David continued to trust God no matter how long he had to wait for his justice.

Psalm 14 speaks of fools who deny God. The atheist, who may not be aware of their practice against God, is either foolish or wicked. Foolish, in that they ignore the clear evidence that God exists, or wicked, because they refuse to live by God’s truth. Atheist in practice is when we rely more on ourselves than God; that is why it is easy to behave as an atheist and not even realize it. To speak in direct defiance to God is utterly foolish according to the Bible. No one stands before God completely blameless; for no one but God is perfect; therefore, God not only expects us to obey his guidelines, but he wants us to love him with all our heart.

Psalm 18 speaks of victory over enemies by calling on God for strength. “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold…To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.”(Psalm18:1,2,3,25,26) In their arrogance and disbelief, many people think that belief in God and following his path is a crutch for the weak who can’t make it on their own. God is our protector; but he does not want us to remain weak. He strengthens, protects and guides us in order to send us back into a fallen world to fight for him. The author David was no coward; he was a mighty warrior because he knew that only God could ultimately protect and save him. Through pain and suffering, God promises to give us strength to meet the challenges; he doesn’t promise to eliminate them; for there would be no growth if we didn’t have battles to fight. God encourages us, teaches us and strengthens us to face our troubles and by his grace, be victorious.

Psalm 19 reveals God’s greatness existing through creation and his word. Many people may say they believe in God because of the splendors of nature; it is absolutely certain that the beauty by design that surrounds us proves the existence of God. People fall short, however, when they feel this is the only way God reveals himself to us. I find it self-serving to think that God’s creation was merely for us to enjoy without any responsibility on our part. Some people refuse to really seek to know beyond acknowledging that God exists; to Who God is and What He wants and how we should show our deep love and respect for Him. Through nature, God reveals his power and handiwork in his design of creation and we learn of his infinite nature and our finite nature; To think that the universe happened by chance is ignorance; there is beauty and truth revealed in nature that teaches us of our Creator. In his word, we learn about his holiness and our sinfulness. God also reveals himself though daily experiences and circumstances and we learn about his grace, forgiveness and our salvation. People in awe of nature and in agreement to the existence of God still miss steps in having a relationship with God; which is what He wants from all of us; by not recognizing that the Bible tells us about salvation. His word is there for us to explain his love, mercy and grace to others so that they understand that God did not just intent for us to believe in him; but to walk with him according to how he wants; not how we want.

Some people distance themselves from God because they feel his Laws are outside their reach. They don’t even want to go there because of fear of failing the Almighty God. That in and of itself is proof that seeking to truly know him is in order because to feel this way is a direct reflection of not having God in your life. Would you ever really want to live without God? Is that life or just existence until your time is up? God’s laws are not in place to intimidate us or steer us away from him; on the contrary; as our Creator, don’t you think he knows all that is the best for us and wants our lives to be filled with joy? He is our Father after all. A father’s love is unconditional for his child. Every relationship has rules. God’s rules revive us, make us wise, give joy (not temporary happiness) to the heart, gives light to the eye, warns us of things that he knows will harm us, and rewards us in supernatural ways. God’s guidelines are lights to our path, not balls and chains. His laws point at harm and danger to warn us to steer clear; then he points us at success, and guides us through victory. Do not be intimidated by God’s rules and remember that they are in place for protection and freedom.