Passage Read: Psalm 99-102
Meditation Verses: 102:17-18
Thought
The Lord is compassionate and gracious. He hears the prayer of the destitute, He has compassion on those who are abused and cursed and condemned by their enemies. The humble have no power against their enemies; they can only turn to the Lord for help and deliverance. They do not turn and attack their tormentors, but cry out to You to deliver them. That's why You delight in them and will deliver them. They are not full of hatred like their enemies who slander and deride them. They know there own faults and cannot lift up their own heads. If You will not deliver them, then they are not worth delivering. If You take no pleasure in them, then they have no reason to hope.
Application
There is nothing in me that commends me to You more than the next person. So those who speak evil about me speak truth and lies, and I can't always discern the difference. All I can do is confess my sin to the Lord and plead for His mercy, forgiveness and deliverance. The confidence I have and the hope I cling to is not that I can pretend to be destitute enough, but that I am truly helpless and have no hope of grace from men, nor do I deserve mercy from anyone including the Lord. People curse me for seeking their good because they can't see the good I'm seeking for them. They do not want to understand; they cannot conceive of anything good but what they have set as their goal. I don't hate them, so how can I attack in return for the mistreatment they give? There is nothing else I can do but cry to the Lord for help, to understand what He wants to teach me, to hold fast until He delivers me, to teach those who are angry with me the lessons He has for them. My trust is that the Lord will show His favor to those who have truly been mistreated. He will deliver the weak and destitute, whether me or them.