Psalm 71:1-16
“Lord, I seek refuge in You; let me never be disgraced. In Your justice, rescue and deliver me; listen closely to me and save me. Be a rock of refuge for me,
where I can always go. Give the command to save me, for You are my rock and fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the power of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and oppressive. For You are my hope, Lord God, my confidence from my youth. I have leaned on You from birth; You took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is always about You. I have become an ominous sign to many, but You are my strong refuge. My mouth is full of praise and honor to You all day long. Don’t discard me in my old age; as my strength fails, do not abandon me. For my enemies talk about me, and those who spy on me plot together, saying, “God has abandoned him; chase him and catch him, for there is no one to rescue him.” God, do not be far from me; my God, hurry to help me. May my adversaries be disgraced and destroyed; may those who seek my harm be covered with disgrace and humiliation. But I will hope continually
and will praise You more and more. My mouth will tell about Your righteousness
and Your salvation all day long, though I cannot sum them up. I come because of the mighty acts of the Lord God; I will proclaim Your righteousness, Yours alone.”
where I can always go. Give the command to save me, for You are my rock and fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the power of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and oppressive. For You are my hope, Lord God, my confidence from my youth. I have leaned on You from birth; You took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is always about You. I have become an ominous sign to many, but You are my strong refuge. My mouth is full of praise and honor to You all day long. Don’t discard me in my old age; as my strength fails, do not abandon me. For my enemies talk about me, and those who spy on me plot together, saying, “God has abandoned him; chase him and catch him, for there is no one to rescue him.” God, do not be far from me; my God, hurry to help me. May my adversaries be disgraced and destroyed; may those who seek my harm be covered with disgrace and humiliation. But I will hope continually
and will praise You more and more. My mouth will tell about Your righteousness
and Your salvation all day long, though I cannot sum them up. I come because of the mighty acts of the Lord God; I will proclaim Your righteousness, Yours alone.”
I’m often asking myself, are you a friend of the World? It's a useful question and easy to find the answer, if you keep quiet about what you know to be accurate, in fear of what might happen to your so-called positions at work or with your friends James the haft brother of Jesus has a word for you. “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
You and I have to choose, and God gives us the freedom to do so. I agree with King David; God is a rock of refuge for all who are in Christ. But it is easy to give lip service to God and not your obedience, but if ever there was a time to stand against the enemies of God now is the time.
It not a new thing to serve the Lord, and stand for Him, Joshua put this before the chosen people coming out of Egypt, and you will find it in Joshua 24:14-15. “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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