Psalm 7 - In You do I take refuge - Praying through the Psalms

Psalm 7 – In You do I take refuge (see below)

Persecution comes in many forms. In Psalm 7, David cries out to God because people were making false accusations against him and wanted him dead. He feared them as one fears a lion, afraid they would tear him apart. This is not an unusual encounter for God’s children; In Matthew 5:10-12, Jesus said,

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Many verses in the Bible remind us that anyone who follows Christ will be persecuted. John 16:33 tells us, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

We know that this life won’t be easy; the type of persecution may change, but it will happen. As God’s children, we have a weapon we can use to fight against evil: God. David wisely chose to bring his plight before his heavenly Father, knowing that God would hear him. He claims innocence, confident that he hasn’t done wrong in this situation. His conscience is clear, and he entreats the Lord to bring justice to his enemies.

David knew that God will defend His children; He is our shield and strength, our refuge in times of need. God is not ignorant of what happens in this world; He sees the injustice and the wrongs done to us in this life. He will bring justice and punish those who are against Him and His children. When the world persecutes us or falsely accuses us of wrongdoing, we, too, can call on the Judge of all. Justice belongs to God. He will protect, defend, and preserve us.

David reminds us that God hates evil; all evil, all the time. So much so that He poured out all His wrath upon His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross. Be reassured, because God has His flaming arrows pointed toward the wicked. We often speak of God’s love, ignoring His wrath; however, that actually minimizes God’s righteousness. He does not tolerate sin; the unrepentant WILL be punished. If we do not repent and believe, we will perish.

In Psalm 7, David makes a bold and accurate statement about evil: God often allows the consequences of our sin to be the punishment for that sin. We do this to ourselves. While God forgives the repentant, we still have to deal with the consequences of our actions. Saul tried to get the Philistines to kill David, but they ended up killing Saul. The Jews had the Romans crucify Jesus, and ultimately, the Romans persecuted and killed the Jews. David makes it clear that when we are sinful, our sin returns upon our own heads (Psalm 7:16). If you dig a pit with evil intent, you may just end up falling into the hole that you have made.

Interestingly, David wrote, “You who test the minds and hearts,” calling on God as Judge. Nothing is hidden from God; He knows what is in our hearts and minds, and He judges every thought and action. Despite our weaknesses and sin, this is actually a comforting thing for God’s children. We can trust that, through Christ, we have been forgiven every sin. Through the working of the Holy Spirit, God helps us in our weaknesses to serve Him as He desires us to. However, the wicked and unrepentant should be terrified of God’s wrath against sin; God sees their every sin and will punish them.

David ends Psalm 7 the way we ought to end all our prayers: with praise and thanksgiving to God. So let us pray;

Dear God and heavenly Father,

In You do I take refuge; You are great and awesome, strong and mighty. No one can stand against You. You have told me in Your word that the world will persecute those who follow You, but I pray: keep me safe from harm, O Lord, and deliver me from those who would persecute and do evil to me. Let not the wicked falsely accuse Your child; judge my heart and see if I have done wrong to those who would spread lies. You are just God, and will not tolerate evil. I pray, O God, bring Your just judgment on the wicked. Save me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit, that I may be upright in heart. Let not my sins return upon my head, but in Your grace and mercy, forgive me when I have done wrong. Though I am not worthy, in Your love You sent Your Son to die in my place. Cover me with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, forgiving me when and where I fall short of Your will and expectations. I praise You and give thanks to You, O Lord. May Your name be praised, Amen.

 

Psalm 7 In You Do I Take Refuge

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.

1 O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
² lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.

³ O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands,
⁴ if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause,
⁵ let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah

⁶ Arise, O Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
⁷ Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; over it return on high.

⁸ The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
⁹ Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous— you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God!
¹⁰ My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.
¹¹ God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.

¹² If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow;
¹³ he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.
¹⁴ Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies.
¹⁵ He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.
¹⁶ His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.

¹⁷ I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.