- For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves. Selah Psalm 54:3 – We learn from the header of this psalm that is was written concerning the time David’s whereabouts were told by the Ziphites to King Saul so he could find and kill David. The strangers and ruthless, godless men that David was speaking of in our verse above are referring to these Ziphites. So who exactly were these guys? Were they a people from some far off place that knew nothing of the Lord? Nope, in fact the Ziphites were a part of the nation of Israel and even from the same tribe as David (the tribe of Judah). The reason then David called them strangers wasn’t because he didn’t know them, but because they were acting in such a godless way that they seemed like a foreigner to him. For no people of Israel should act so godlessly, so to David they were as strangers. We too can find ourselves appearing as strangers to the faith. Scripture speaks clearly on how we should live and speak in this life, yet we can live counter to all that. When we live so far from the way scripture outlines we too can be seen as strangers to the faith. For followers of Jesus wouldn’t live in such sin, and followers of Jesus wouldn’t behave and speak that way. Would then your lifestyle be considered familiar or strange to that of how a believer ought to live? Would the church see your life and say “Brother” or “Stranger?” Think on the ways we see given in scripture for how a true Christian is called to live, and begin mirroring such examples in your life. We don’t want the church to call us stranger, or even worse, the Lord to say, “I never knew you.” I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3009
- With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. Psalms 54:6 – This freewill offering was an offering that God set up as a way for us to give to Him outside and over the other offerings such as sin offerings. Why did the psalmist choose to give more to God than God asked of him? Because God is good and the psalmist has begun to see the goodness of God overwhelm his story. When God begins to move like this in your story, make sure you’re not stingy with your thankfulness and the expressions of it. God is always so good to us, let be sure our life is freely lifting up our thanks to Him by the way we serve Him and love people. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 990
- For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves. Selah. Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. Psalm 54:3-4 – You will have ruthless people who are careless in the ways of God come against you. You have a God who holds up your life. Something that we also must remember is that you can have both at the same time and this doesn’t contradict God’s goodness. God can still be all-loving, fully good, and sovereign even in our seasons of great pushback. The presence of pushback doesn’t mean the absence of God. When people are for you, God will be with you. When people are against you, God will be with you. When people are no where to be found, God will be with you. Don’t let the fluctuations of life’s hardships dictate for you how God’s presence will be in your story. Let God’s own word do that. What He says in His word to us is He’ll never leave nor forsake us. Even when enemies are heavy, pushback is unbearable, and the struggle is real, God is present and is upholding our life. When the enemies hands are all over you, don’t forget who’s hands are holding you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2014
Daily DEVO 