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¹ I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
² I will be glad and rejoice in you;
    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

³ My enemies turn back;
    they stumble and perish before you.
⁴ For you have upheld my right and my cause,
    sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
⁵ You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
    you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
⁶ Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
    you have uprooted their cities;
    even the memory of them has perished.

⁷ The Lord reigns for ever;
    he has established his throne for judgment.
⁸ He rules the world in righteousness
    and judges the peoples with equity.
⁹ The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰ Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. NIVUK

What words are these in verses 9,10! What precious promises!! The idea is that God never has forsaken those who seek Him and never will. They show who God is and what we may do because of who He is. Alec Motyer points out that ”refuge” and ”stronghold” are the same word, stressing (inaccessible) height, ‘top-security’.

This is how they are translated by Eugene Peterson in ‘The Message’:

”God’s a safe-house for the battered,
    a sanctuary during bad times.
The moment you arrive, you relax;
    you’re never sorry you knocked.”

All who know about the heart of prayer – not just saying prayers – will recognise the truth of this. Life can beat you up, but there is a Sanctuary.

‘There is a place of quiet rest,
near to the heart of God;
a place where sin cannot molest,
near to the heart of God.

O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
sent from the heart of God,
hold us, who wait before Thee,
near to the heart of God.

There is a place of comfort sweet,
near to the heart of God;
a place where we our Saviour meet,
near to the heart of God.

There is a place of full release,
near to the heart of God;
a place where all is joy and peace,
near to the heart of God’ (Cleland Boyd MacAfee).

Of course, it is wonderful to know that we can run to the Lord in the day of trouble. But how much better it is to understood that we live in Him. God is not a temporary Sanctuary, but our true home.

¹ Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
    in the heavens.
² Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger.
³ When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?

⁵ You have made them a little lower than the angels
    and crowned them with glory and honour.
⁶ You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
    you put everything under their feet:
⁷ all flocks and herds,
    and the animals of the wild,
⁸ the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,
    all that swim the paths of the seas.

⁹ Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth! NIVUK

I have to confess that I got out of bed and went outside somewhat reluctantly. It was the early hours of a January morning, and we were staying on the island of La Palma – a protected ‘dark sky’ region. What Jilly had seen, and insisted that I should also see, was the clear, star be-jewelled, night sky, as I had never seen it before. As we stood together, shivering and marvelling, we were overwhelmed with a sense of wonder. It felt like the stars were so low you could reach out and touch them. How small we were that night…and always have been. There is no doubt that God can use the night sky to get you into perspective.

On another day, as we walked up the lane close to our home in Coverdale, we saw the cattle and sheep chewing nonchalantly. They gave us a passing glance, and just carried on. Nature will humble you, if you let it into your soul. Those beasts don’t care who we are, or what we’ve been. They don’t want to know our names or have our autographs. How small and insignificant we actually are. We live for a few years, then die, and life carries on without us. What a stupid and vacuous and deceptive thing celebrity culture is! Lying at the extreme edge of the world’s madness and folly, fame is an illusory bubble. As Jilly commented to me the other day, ‘Even Geoff Bezos, with his billions, will have to die and face the judgment of God.’

Yes, we are so small. For sanity’s sake – true mental health – we need an appropriate sense of our true size.

So small…

…and yet, paradoxically…so significant. In verses 5-8, the psalmist answers his own question: the one he raises in verses 3,4. Ironically, however, we can only live out our significance on this planet from out of an awareness of our own smallness. Humility and authority go together. It is those who learn to kneel who ‘rule’ the best (6).

Thought: Praise (1,9) is a God-given way to ”silence” the enemy’s ‘noise’ in our heads (2).

God, brilliant Lord,
    yours is a household name.

² Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
    toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
    and silence atheist babble.

^3-4 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
    your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
    Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
    Why take a second look our way?

^5-8 Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods,
    bright with Eden’s dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
    repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
Made us stewards of sheep and cattle,
    even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
    whales singing in the ocean deeps.

⁹ God, brilliant Lord,
    your name echoes around the world. The Message

Whoever is pregnant with evil
    conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
¹⁵ Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
    falls into the pit they have made.
¹⁶ The trouble they cause recoils on them;
    their violence comes down on their own heads.

¹⁷ I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
    I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High. NIVUK

v21f. reads, in the Jerusalem Bible: ”The enemy may sharpen his sword…but the weapons he prepares will kill himself” (see Mt.26:32).

This principle is repeated in various parts of the Bible. It is that we will reap as we sow. It can, of course, have positive as well as negative connotations (see, e.g. 2 Cor.9:6/Gal.6:7-10). But as we find it in the Old Testament, it is usually reinforcing the message of verses 14-16 (see e.g. Nu.32:23, Ps.9:15; Prov.26:27).

‘This is the way sin works…it has a boomerang quality as if it were a living agent in its own right. But if sin appears to return on the head of the perpetrator it is because there is a just (6-8a), wrathful (10-13) God before whom all will one day stand, but who is the same every day with resources at the ready for the punishment of the unrepentant.’ Alec Motyer.

The principle of ‘evil coming home to roost…operates unevenly in the material realm, but inescapably in that of the spirit…’ Derek Kidner.

PRAYER: Lord please help me today, in the choices I face, to be sowing to the Spirit and not to the flesh.

Arise, Lord, in your anger;
    rise up against the rage of my enemies.
    Awake, my God; decree justice.
⁷ Let the assembled peoples gather round you,
    while you sit enthroned over them on high.
⁸     Let the Lord judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,
    according to my integrity, O Most High.
⁹ Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure –
you, the righteous God
    who probes minds and hearts.

¹⁰ My shield is God Most High,
    who saves the upright in heart.
¹¹ God is a righteous judge,
    a God who displays his wrath every day.
¹² If he does not relent,
    he will sharpen his sword;
    he will bend and string his bow.
¹³ He has prepared his deadly weapons;
    he makes ready his flaming arrows. NIVUK

What a prayer for today – for these perilous times in which we are living:

”Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure…”

Doesn’t it seem to be so relevant?

David is not merely mouthing words; going through a religious exercise. It is a heart-rending cry to the God he knows to be real, to intervene, to act decisively. He totally believes that God is able to deal with ”the wicked”.

But let’s remember that this comes in a section where David is entrusting his case to the Lord. Warren Wiersbe expresses this well: ‘It is wise to let God be the judge because His judgment is always right (1 Cor.4:3-5). We do not see ourselves and others as He sees, so it is best to turn the matter over to Him.’

Centuries later, Jesus – ‘Great David’s Greater Son – exemplified this approach:

”To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

²² ‘He committed no sin,
    and no deceit was found in his mouth.’

²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” 1 Pet.2:21-23 NIVUK.

Verse 22 of the above passage could never have been said of David, and he would not have claimed it. But in the circumstances surrounding Psalm 7, he upheld his claim to ”integrity” – that he was not guilty of the charges being laid at his door. Nevertheless, he was content to ‘entrust himself’ to the One who ”judges justly”.

¹ Lord my God, I take refuge in you;
    save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
² or they will tear me apart like a lion
    and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

³ Lord my God, if I have done this
    and there is guilt on my hands –
⁴ if I have repaid my ally with evil
    or without cause have robbed my foe –
⁵ then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
    let him trample my life to the ground
    and make me sleep in the dust.

Psalm 7 is headed: ”A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjaminite.” It is thought that ”shiggaion” was probably a musical or literary term. We don’t know what Cush said about David, but it seems he was one of the ‘court liars’ who flattered Saul and made life difficult for David (see 1 Sam.24:9). There came a point in Saul’s spiritual and mental deterioration, where it was probably relatively easy to feed his manic, paranoid suspicion and fear of David.

But David did not take matters into his own hands. See how this Psalm is born out of personal relationship: ”Lord my God”. David takes it to the Lord in prayer. He lays it all before Him. He seeks not retaliation, but vindication. He believes that he prays out of a clear conscience (see also v.8), but he is content for God to decide the matter. Our knowledge (even of ourselves) is partial, but God knows all there is to know.

‘The overall movement of the psalm is the familiar theme that prayer resolves crises and issues in praise for their solution.’ Alec Motyer

(Thought: You may, or may not, have people ‘on your case’ today, but maybe there are fears and concerns which threaten to ‘tear you apart’ – to ‘rip you to pieces’ – like wild beasts. Know that, like David, you can commit everything to the Lord. ”Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”1 Peter 5:7).

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your wrath.
² Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
    heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
³ My soul is in deep anguish.
    How long, Lord, how long?

⁴ Turn, Lord, and deliver me;
    save me because of your unfailing love.
⁵ Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
    Who praises you from his grave?

⁶ I am worn out from my groaning.

All night long I flood my bed with weeping
    and drench my couch with tears.
⁷ My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
    they fail because of all my foes.

⁸ Away from me, all you who do evil,
    for the Lord has heard my weeping.
⁹ The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
    the Lord accepts my prayer.
¹⁰ All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
    they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

Psalm 6 is one of 7 ‘penitential’ psalms, expressing confession and repentance (the others being 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 and 143).

If there is one question in the psalms with which we can all identify, it is surely this one: ”How long, Lord, how long?” How long will this keep going on? How many more tears must I cry? How much more will we have to endure? How many more prayers before the longed for breakthrough appears? ”How long, Lord…?”

David was clearly in deep trouble and anguish when he wrote this psalm (2,3,6,7), evening sensing a death sentence hanging over him (5). It may be that he was sick in some way. It may be another psalm associated with the time of Absalom’s rebellion. We don’t know for certain.

But notice – and this can happen in prayer – he comes to a place of assurance that all will be well (8-10).

Many years ago, during a time of crisis, I entered into a committed season of intense prayer, for breakthrough. It extended over 40 days. I felt ‘burdened’ about a problem which had dragged on and on without resolution, and it had become a heavy weight to carry. Around day 31 or 32, as I walked around my house praying, I got such a strong sense of conviction that it was over – dealt with. I wrote in my journal, ‘D Day – It is finished!’ Outwardly, nothing much changed for a few months, but as the year wore on it became more and more evident that what I came to ‘know’ in prayer was the case. I still marvel at this experience 28 years later.

For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
⁵ The arrogant cannot stand
    in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
⁶     you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
    you, Lord, detest.
⁷ But I, by your great love,
    can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
    towards your holy temple.

⁸ Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
    because of my enemies –
    make your way straight before me.
⁹ Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
    their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
    with their tongues they tell lies.
¹⁰ Declare them guilty, O God!
    Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
    for they have rebelled against you.
¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
    let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

¹² Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
    you surround them with your favour as with a shield.

David is swimming against the tide. He draws a contrast between himself and the other people he has in mind (possibly the rebels with Absalom?). This is not a distinction of self-righteousness. David was far from perfect. He knew it. We know it. But at his best he wanted to be the best for God (and he for sure knew how to confess and repent when he fell short). Look how, in verse 8, he prays to live right This psalm shows the ‘moral commitment’ (Motyer) of the man praying, seeking to live right amidst many who are living wrong. He doesn’t want to be like those whom the Lord will banish from His presence (9,10). The life of prayer must not be divorced from the pursuit of holiness.

In particular, though, the contrast he draws is one of God’s grace and mercy:

‘But I, by your great love, can come into your house…’ (7a, compare with v.5).

I remember often singing the hymn ‘Eternal Light’ in my earlier years. Note particularly the third and fourth verses:

‘Eternal Light! Eternal Light!
  How pure the soul must be
When, placed within Thy searching sight,
It shrinks not, but with calm delight
  Can live and look on Thee.

The spirits that surround Thy throne
  May bear the burning bliss;
But that is surely theirs alone,
Since they have never, never known
  A fallen world like this.

Oh, how shall I, whose native sphere
  Is dark, whose mind is dim,
Before th’ Ineffable appear,
And on my natural spirit bear
  The uncreated beam?

There is a way for man to rise
  To That sublime Abode;
An Offering and a Sacrifice,
A Holy Spirit’s energies,
  An Advocate with God:

These, these prepare us for the sight
  Of holiness above;
The sons of ignorance and night
May dwell in the eternal Light,
  Through the eternal Love.’

Listen to my words, Lord,
    consider my lament.
² Hear my cry for help,
    my King and my God,
    for to you I pray.

³ In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
    in the morning I lay my requests before you
    and wait expectantly.

In his fine book, ‘Don’t just stand there, pray something’, Ronald Dunn tells an amusing story of a group of Sunday school children who wrote to a missionary along these lines:

‘Dear Rev. Smith, we are praying for you. We are not expecting an answer.’

It makes one smile, but there is an ‘ouch’ factor. What are we expecting in answer to our prayers?

Recently, I read these words in Luke 18:1: ”Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” ‘Giving up’ is the very thing we are tempted to do, when praying over the long-haul, and nothing seems to be shifting.

PRAYER: Lord, help me this day to align myself with the Psalmist and pray with expectation.

Answer me when I call to you,
    my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
    have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

² How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
    How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
³ Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.

⁴ Tremble and do not sin;
    when you are on your beds,
    search your hearts and be silent.
⁵ Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
    and trust in the Lord.

⁶ Many, Lord, are asking, ‘Who will bring us prosperity?’
    Let the light of your face shine on us.
⁷ Fill my heart with joy
    when their grain and new wine abound.

⁸ In peace I will lie down and sleep,
    for you alone, Lord,
    make me dwell in safety.

It is generally thought that Psalm 3 belongs to the morning, and Psalm 4 to the evening, but both belong to that period when David was on the run from Absalom. Here, David is facing a second night on the run, and under threat, and again he meets his circumstances with prayer. The idea of prayer, and the prayer-answering God, is threaded throughout the psalm.

‘…we note that to come into the place of prayer (1) is to find oneself in the place of peace (8).’ Alec Motyer

We may feel we want to ask the question in verse 2 of the people of our own day. Many, it seems, are happy to follow delusions and lies, rather than embracing uncomfortable truth. In the context, David’s words are ‘An imaginative appeal to those gathered to Absalom to stop denigrating his glory as king, to abandon their delusions of power and their ‘falsehood’…’ (In the original this is more about ‘lies’ than false gods ).

But let us not miss the heart of this psalm which is one of confident trust in the Lord. David knew what it was to have a table prepared for him in the presence of his enemies (Psalm 23:5).