Worship and Wisdom

Psalms and Proverbs

Psalm 9

A David Psalm

^1-2 I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart,
    I’m writing the book on your wonders.
I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy;
    I’m singing your song, High God.

^3-4 The day my enemies turned tail and ran,
    they stumbled on you and fell on their faces.
You took over and set everything right;
    when I needed you, you were there, taking charge.

^5-6 You blow the whistle on godless nations;
    you throw dirty players out of the game,
    wipe their names right off the roster.
Enemies disappear from the sidelines,
    their reputation trashed,
    their names erased from the halls of fame.

^7-8 God holds the high center,
    he sees and sets the world’s mess right.
He decides what is right for us earthlings,
    gives people their just deserts.

^9-10 God’s a safe-house for the battered,
    a sanctuary during bad times.
The moment you arrive, you relax;
    you’re never sorry you knocked.

^11-12 Sing your songs to Zion-dwelling God,
    tell his stories to everyone you meet:
How he tracks down killers
    yet keeps his eye on us,
    registers every whimper and moan.

^13-14 Be kind to me, God;
    I’ve been kicked around long enough.
Once you’ve pulled me back
    from the gates of death,
I’ll write the book on Hallelujahs;
    on the corner of Main and First
    I’ll hold a street meeting;
I’ll be the song leader; we’ll fill the air
    with salvation songs.

^15-16 They’re trapped, those godless countries,
    in the very snares they set,
Their feet all tangled
    in the net they spread.
They have no excuse;
    the way God works is well-known.
The cunning machinery made by the wicked
    has maimed their own hands.

^17-20 The wicked bought a one-way
    ticket to hell.
No longer will the poor be nameless—
    no more humiliation for the humble.
Up, God! Aren’t you fed up with their empty strutting?
    Expose these grand pretensions!
Shake them up, God!
    Show them how silly they look.

TRUTH:  Just watch closely and don’t miss it! God blows the whistle on the godless.  He is always in control.  When we ask for wisdom and clarity, God gives it readily.  He exposes our enemies and flushes out the wicked and evil that brings us down.  Can we raise a hallelujah?  God will always set everything right in every detail of life when we trust Him and call on His Name.  Come to God with thanksgiving in our hearts for all He has done, is doing and will do in our lives.  “We’ll fill the air with salvation songs!”

Proverb 6

Run Like a Deer from the Hunter

^1-5 Dear friend, if you’ve gone into hock with your neighbor
    or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger,
If you’ve impulsively promised the shirt off your back
    and now find yourself shivering out in the cold,
Friend, don’t waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess.
    You’re in that man’s clutches!
    Go, put on a long face; act desperate.
Don’t procrastinate—
    there’s no time to lose.
Run like a deer from the hunter,
    fly like a bird from the trapper!

Always Cooking Up Something Nasty

^12-15 Riffraff and rascals
    talk out of both sides of their mouths.
They wink at each other, they shuffle their feet,
    they cross their fingers behind their backs.
Their perverse minds are always cooking up something nasty,
    always stirring up trouble.
Catastrophe is just around the corner for them,
    a total smashup, their lives ruined beyond repair.

WISDOM:  Don’t get caught up in what the world wants and takes from you that has nothing to do with God and His Will.  This is a trap.  God describes clearly who to avoid in this life; the perverse, liars, and manipulators of your emotions and grabbers of your wealth, luring you from your spiritual foundation.  RUN from the enemy hunter who longs to trap your soul!  When we run to God, we are set free.  God takes care of our enemies in God-fashion.  God fights our battles for us when we ask, trust and believe that He will.

Abba Father,

You are God and we are not.  You are amazing in the ways you work your salvation in us and through us, teaching us your character traits.  You are a merciful God who frees us from the traps of the enemy.  You are a God full of grace giving us what we do not deserve because of your relentless love for us.  You are Creator, Forgiver, Sustainer, Protector, Provider, and Lover of our souls.  I humbly bow to give you praise and thanksgiving for saving my soul and making me whole.  Yes, there is no one like you, God.  Give me wisdom and clarity for this day so I will not be trapped in what is not for me according to your will and plan.  In Jesus Name, Amen