Main Scripture: Psalm 7
O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me, Lest they tear me like a lion, Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver. (verses 1-2)
O Lord my God, if I have done this: If there is iniquity in my hands, If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, Or have plundered my enemy without cause, Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to The earth, And lay my honor in the dust. (verses 3-5)
(enemy n. , pl. , -mies . One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes the interests of another; a foe.)
Though most of us may not consider ourselves to be enemies of anyone or consider others to be our enemies, others, unbeknownst to us at times, may consider US to be their enemies. Hm ...
There is a saying in Spanish that goes like this "No soy monedita de oro para caerle bien a todos" (I am not a gold coin to be liked by everyone) There will always be people who we rub the wrong way and vice versa. Different personality types and temperaments often clash for obvious reasons. A case can also be made for friction due to the opposing value systems people embrace. Maturity, a healthy self-image, respect, tolerance for differences, etc. are all needed for a peaceful co-habitation among people.
But what about when it is open or ill-disguised hostility, as was David's experience in this Psalm? Sometimes personal insecurities, lack of fulfillment, or just plain envy will manifest itself in feelings of animosity among family-members, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, etc. Left unrepented of and unconfessed, this animosity will grow into a root of bitterness.
Often the person being envied, maligned, etc., is oblivious to the animosity in the other person, while the latter is (willingly?) oblivious to his/her unrepentant sin of envy/covetousness, slander, etc.
In this Psalm David entrusts himself to God in the face of open hostility and danger. He prays no ill for his declared enemies. Unlike in the precatory Psalms (Praying evil upon our enemies), here David asks God to search HIS (David's) heart. His sincerity, uprightness and desire to please the LORD are very evident. That should be the starting point for each of us as well, as we interact with people in whom we sense animosity or a destructive critical spirit.
Besides the self-examination exemplified by David, we should pray blessings for them and their families. We should pray for good health for them, protection, financial success, etc. That is what Jesus commanded us to do. We surely will be exhibiting a "family trait" then, as we imitate our heavenly Father.
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:44-45)
Difficult to do? Noooo .... Impossible is a better word! Impossible, were it not for God's help. He only asks us to do what He will enable us to do.
HE will deal with our perceived or declared "enemies". What's more they will deal with themselves. Take a look in verses 14 to 16 of this Psalm:
Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. He made a pit and dug it out, And has fallen into the ditch which he made. His trouble shall return upon his own head, And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown. (verses 14-16)
Dear God, we obey You, because it is You who is producing in us both the desire and the ability to do what pleases You
(Philippians 2:13)
RE*J*oicita 
Good morning how are you?
ReplyDeleteMy name is Emilio, I am a Spanish boy and I live in a town near to Madrid. I am a very interested person in knowing things so different as the culture, the way of life of the inhabitants of our planet, the fauna, the flora, and the landscapes of all the countries of the world etc. in summary, I am a person that enjoys traveling, learning and respecting people's diversity from all over the world.
I would love to travel and meet in person all the aspects above mentioned, but unfortunately as this is very expensive and my purchasing power is quite small, so I devised a way to travel with the imagination in every corner of our planet. A few years ago I started a collection of used stamps because trough them, you can see pictures about fauna, flora, monuments, landscapes etc. from all the countries. As every day is more and more difficult to get stamps, some years ago I started a new collection in order to get traditional letters addressed to me in which my goal was to get at least 1 letter from each country in the world. This modest goal is feasible to reach in the most part of countries, but unfortunately it’s impossible to achieve in other various territories for several reasons, either because they are countries at war, either because they are countries with extreme poverty or because for whatever reason the postal system is not functioning properly.
For all this I would ask you one small favor:
Would you be so kind as to send me a letter by traditional mail from St Marteen? I understand perfectly that you think that your blog is not the appropriate place to ask this, and even, is very probably that you ignore my letter, but I would call your attention to the difficulty involved in getting a letter from that country, and also I don’t know anyone neither where to write in St Marteen in order to increase my collection. a letter for me is like a little souvenir, like if I have had visited that territory with my imagination and at same time, the arrival of the letters from a country is a sign of peace and normality and an original way to promote a country in the world. My postal address is the following one:
Emilio Fernandez Esteban
Calle Valencia,39
28903 Getafe (Madrid)
Spain
If you wish, you can visit my blog www.cartasenmibuzon.blogspot.com where you can see the pictures of all the letters that I have received from whole World.
Finally I would like to thank the attention given to this letter, and whether you can help me or not, I send my best wishes for peace, health and happiness for you, your family and all your dear beings.
Yours Sincerely
Emilio Fernandez