The Phil Files

I have a message from God in my heart
      concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
   There is no fear of God
      before their eyes.

   In their own eyes they flatter themselves
      too much to detect or hate their sin.
   The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;
      they have ceased to be wise and to do good.
   Even on their beds they plot evil;
      they commit themselves to a sinful course
      and do not reject what is wrong.

   Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,
      your faithfulness to the skies.
   Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
      your justice like the great deep.
      You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
   How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
   People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
   They feast on the abundance of your house;
      you give them drink from your river of delights.
   For with you is the fountain of life;
      in your light we see light.

   Continue your love to those who know you,
      your righteousness to the upright in heart.
   May the foot of the proud not come against me,
      nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
   See how the evildoers lie fallen —
      thrown down, not able to rise!

\o/ — Comments Psalm 35: Continue your love to those who know you! — \o/

We could call this psalm the collision of two ways.

One way, the first way emphasized, is the way of the wicked. They continually do evil and plot to do more. Their way is wicked, vile, and arrogant. It is everything that God is not and love everything that God detests. The psalmist recognizes the truth about those who are wicked!

The other way, the way emphasized second, is the way of the LORD. Notice how God’s way is described: love, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice. Those who are the LORD’s people are blessed by these qualities of God and find delight in His presence — the light of God.

So what am I to make of this? How does this psalm intersect my life? I join the psalmist plea for God to be God. I also pledge to align my heart and my life with His character. Rather than being deceived by the temporary “success” of those who are evil, I remember the long faithfulness of God. Rather than being “co-opted” by the evil and deceptive shortcut ways of those who are false, I choose to trust that God will act in behalf of His people. I trust to see the defeat of the wicked even before the first steps of their defeat are visible, for I know that the LORD, and those who honor Him, will ultimately triumph.

Fools say in their hearts,
    “There is no God.”
  They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
    there is no one who does good.

  The LORD looks down from heaven
    on the human race
  to see if there are any who understand,
    any who seek God.
  All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
    there is no one who does good,
    not even one.

  Do all these evildoers know nothing?

  They devour my people as though eating bread;
    they never call on the LORD.
  But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
    for God is present in the company of the righteous.
  You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
    but the LORD is their refuge.

  Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When the LORD restores his people,
    let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

\o/ — Comments Psalm 14: When the Lord restores His people! — \o/

In the jungle and in the forest, each creature is either predator or prey. Many creatures are both! In the world, it often seems this way, too. However, God has called us to His character. He is neither predator or prey. He is Redeemer and Deliverer. He calls us to His character and His mission. To deny His presence, His pervasive influence on the fabric of creation, is foolish and disastrous. Yet many, in their lust for power and control, deny His existence and stalk the weak, prey on the vulnerable, and abuse the righteous.Psalm 14 gives us words for those times of heartbreak, anger, and desperation when we see the vulnerable savagely devoured by the godless. The godless celebrate because they believe there is no God and that there is no one to hold them accountable for their wickedness, corruption, and evil. For those under relentless attack, it does feel as if all goodness has vanished from the earth and only the vile rule. (Romans 3 reminds us that there are times when we all have fallen into this category and our only deliverance is God’s costly grace given us in Jesus!)

We live in a time when Christians are persecuted and martyred in many parts of our world without much comment from the press and almost without notice by their brothers and sisters in the Western world. (See Voice of the Martyrs for details.)

What can we do to be genuine peacemakers?

What can we do to help our fellow brothers and sisters hang on and trust that God will act?

How can we help them hold on and find refuge in the LORD?

How can we encourage them that deliverance is not a matter of IF God will act, but WHEN He will act?

More than questions to ponder, these are soul-searching issues we must master. And until we master both question and answer, we must pray, Oh, that salvation … would come … When the LORD restores His people!

O LORD, please act! Please intervene. Please restore. And, dear God, please stir us — your people with freedom, money, power, and protection — to pray and work for the deliverance of our brothers and sisters under persecution. Please stir us to be a blessing because we are so blessed. Please use us to be a tool to help your people have reason to rejoice and be glad!