Three Pearls, Three Minutes, Thirty Days. (Day 7)

Psalm 7: 1Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, 2or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me. 3Lord my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands—4if I have repaid my ally with evil or without cause have robbed my foe— 5then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust.^c 6Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice. 7Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you sit enthroned over them on high. 8Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. 9Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure—you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts. 10My shield^d is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. 11God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day. 12If he does not relent, he^e will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. 13He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows. 14Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. 15Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. 16The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads. 17I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High                                             

                                                              Today’s Three Pearls

• Or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me – v.2: David was once a  shepherd so his descriptive imagery naturally tends to that of a lion circling around a lamb without a watcher or shepherd. And this helps us to understand why we cannot afford to take a break from being in continuous communion with God, whether we are working, resting or enjoying ourselves. We must learn to do all things for God’s glory (1 Cor. 10:31), keeping Him nearby in our thoughts: Why? because the hard-working enemy does not take a minute’s break – ‘your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’ – 1 Pet. 5:8. A defenseless lamb is a prime target; likewise the minute we are out of touch with God, it is open season for the enemy of our souls. And just as the lion slowly takes his time in devouring the still-alive lamb down to the bone, the enemy takes his time in  deceiving and destroying the poor soul in his cross-hairs, but his goal is a total destruction. Our God does not sleep nor slumber, and the enemy trembles before Him, may we take advantage of His protective faithfulness by staying in constant communion with Him in all that we do.
• If there is guilt on my hands, if I have repaid my ally with evil…. v. 3-4: David was being hounded by a man that he had done no wrong to, (and had refrained from killing twice), thanks to slanderous lies. Innocence does not shield a Christian from the plotting of the wicked; men only throw stones at a tree that bears fruits, not a barren tree.  To live without slander is to live in heaven. We will be victims of slander and the awareness of this should help us to be ready to manage it  with Christian maturity, without manifesting a temper and committing sin. As we all have different personalities, each person’s coping mechanism will be different; but the Holy Spirit is able and always willing to teach us how to walk through it unscathed. …To do good for evil is Christian perfection; though this be not the grace of nature, it is the nature of Grace – William Secker
• ...the righteous God who probes minds and hearts – v.9: One of the hallmarks of spiritual growth is the acute realization of the notion that God judges our thoughts , desires and minds. So while we may be able to convince others about our holy piety, lengthy prayers and charitable works, we know we cannot pass an ongoing examination of our thoughts and minds by the Just God; we realize how far we still have to go. It is humbling and encouraging at the same time, because it reminds us not to look down on those who are sinning outwardly and loudly since we are all in need of God’s mercy. Our goal should be that the thoughts of our hearts and meditation of our minds be acceptable to God. We can ask the Spirit to help keep us in check in this regard by convicting us when our thoughts begin to stray into what will surely not pass God’s piercing scrutiny.