Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+054

 

Psalm 54 (ESV)

1 O God, save me by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.
2 O God, hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth.

3 For strangers have risen against me;
ruthless men seek my life;
they do not set God before themselves. Selah

4 Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will return the evil to my enemies;
in your faithfulness put an end to them.

6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

 

REFLECTION:

 

  1. Silence – Read/Listen – Meditate – Pray – Contemplate
  2. What is the word or phrase that touches you today as you read and meditate on this passage? What is your emotion as you read this word or phrase?
  3. It’s especially painful when a friend turns against us. When that happens, we would be wise to follow David’s lead.  When did you experience betrayal by someone close to you? How did you react? How would this psalm help you to face it now?
  4. Don’t dwell on the betrayal. Let God mete out any appropriate punishment. Released from any thoughts of hurt or revenge, David praised God and remembered how the Lord “delivered me from all my troubles.” In the NT, Jesus teaches us to pray for those who persecute us. Out of prayer for others—even our enemies—comes an alignment with God’s heart, and because God is love, as we pray for others we will grow in our love for them. Listen to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to give you the faces of some people who have hurt you and who you need to not only forgive, but to love.

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

 

HYMN:

The Lord Upholds My Life – www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxToiTbI0ZE