Psalm 7 Matthew 5:44 Romans 8:31
I once had a job I loved and that I was particularly good at. In the first few months of my employment there, I had stumbled upon the cause of some of our network issues and had quietly gone about fixing them. My managers pulled me in their office and thanked me. But one of my co-workers wasn’t so happy. She began to warn people to not let me see their computers; and had told them that I had been the cause of the problems. That it was the computers I corrected that weren’t functional. Eventually, fewer people would give her access to their computers; and more and more computers mysteriously connected to our company’s network.
But that was little consolation to me. I had been brought to this job site to correct the problems I was, in fact, correcting. And yet, I was met with “traps” and “snares” at every turn. For nearly two years I came to work like this. I was miserable
Certainly my life wasn’t in danger! And yet, I find myself relating to David in Psalm 8. His enemies are rising up against him and, this time, it is not a punishment from God. David knows this and and cries to God for help. He entreats the Lord to rise up in his defense and to put an end to the evil of the wicked. David understands that his “shield is with God” and that ultimately, the upright in heart will be saved. As for the wicked who fail to repent? They’ll fall into their own traps and snares.
Sometimes, life isn’t fair. Sometimes there really are people who, for whatever reason, enjoy making life difficult for others. The might even enjoy making life difficult for you.
Like David, we can find recourse with God. We can, as Jesus instructed, love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We can stand confident knowing that God is our shield, too. And if, my friends, God is for us, who can be against us?
Reflect: When you are faced with injustice what is your first response?
Reflect: Think about a time when God was your shield. Did you remember he was your shield at the time, and rely on him?
Action: Praying for our enemies is hard! Often we think of our enemies as those who can cause us great harm. But sometimes there are people in our lives who just like to “stir the pot.” If you have enemies of either kind, say a prayer for them today. Can you offer up the heartache they cause you, for them? Ask Mary to help you.
