Day 188: Psalm 55:4 [ESV] 4 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me.5 Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;7 yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah8 I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest.”
Lord Jesus, first and foremost, I see the anguish of Christ before the cross in this passage. I hear His desire to have this cup pass from Him. Yet He chose the Father’s will and eternal plan over His own personal desires for deliverance.
O God, I go about with a troubled heart and mind when such pressures come upon me. Will this end my life, my career, and hurt my family? I tremble because some people have set themselves against me to bring trouble. I imagine all sorts of scenarios of their attacks, and I am troubled.
Oh, that I could flee and get away from them and leave this all behind. Would that I could get away and start over, but that is not always possible. I would find a place of rest and peace and not have to fight against the evil one. I would go to the remote corners of the earth to find a refuge. I would escape the anger, the hate, the violence and evil.
Psalm 55:9 [ESV] 9 Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city.10 Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it;11 ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.
Most Holy God, do not let wickedness triumph over me. Divide and conquer the enemy who has sought to divide and conquer me and others. The enemy seeks to create divisions and factions, but do not let him prevail. Do not let him achieve his goals.
Like Absalom, they try to recruit people to their cause (II Samuel 15:2-6). Like Sanballat and Tobiah sought to discourage and demoralize Israel from rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem (Nehemiah 4) so the enemy seeks to discourage, confuse and unsettle the resolve and focus of God’s work. As the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), so they have come, not to build or help the kingdom, but to tear it down. They use their smooth tongues and deceitful words to mislead the simple (Romans 16:18).
O Jesus, You overcame the full power of evil at the cross and the tomb and will one day remove it forever. Even now, give us the strength to deal with evil by Your omnipotent power displayed in the resurrection power of Your Son.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Growing in Prayer 