" An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil." Psalms 36:1-4
I find it interesting the Psalmist moves from describing the wicked straight into God's mercy. As much as we love God's mercy for ourselves, it is sometimes difficult to see God's mercy extended to those who have hurt us or we view as wicked. God's faithfulness stands not only for us, but for anyone who calls on His name and repents of their sins. There is also nothing that can compare to his righteousness and His justice. He is our avenger and we do not need to attempt to do His job while we are here on earth. Our society is all about "justice" and what is "right" or "fair." As I think of how God's love works, it hardly seems fair at time. Then again, it seems unfair to me after all I have done in my life that He still loves me the way He does. Not only does He love me now, but He always loved me. From the creation of the earth to infinity, He loves me.
"Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light." Psalms 36:5-9
We can not only trust Him, we can trust in His shadow. That is how strong the love and faithfulness of God is to us! When we place our trust in Him and all He has to offer us, we find ourselves abundantly satisfied. I look around at the state of our world and so many people spend their entire lives chasing after an illusion of satisfaction. True satisfaction can ONLY be found within the love of Christ. Just as was spoken to the woman at the well, when we drink from the water of Christ, we will never thirst again!
The Psalmist ends with a plea for God to not end His love and to honor those who are upright in their ways. His request for protection from pride resonates with me. This is one area we, as humans, can find ourselves easily ensnared. This is an area God has been pointing out to me in my own life over the last few months. As soon as my pride says I would never do ________, is when I find opportunity arises for me to do the exact thing I say I would never do! We can also believe we have conquered an area of weakness, but easily forget it is only through the help of Christ and by staying in the Word that we are able to walk a straight(er) path. I say straight(er) because I'm not sure mine has been all that straight! Just as the Psalmist, my plea to God is to never let the hand of the wicked drive me away from God. I pray for His protection from evil and from falling to iniquity. I have found as long as I stay under His shadow, everything works out for the best!
"Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart. Let not the foot of pride come against me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the workers of iniquity have fallen; They have been cast down and are not able to rise." Psalms 36:10-12
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