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Daily Devotions for 1st October 2020

Psalm 75

The Psalmist, Asaph, continues from Psalm 73 and 74 where he is struggling when he is looking around and the wicked prospering. He was concerned with prideful evil doers who seemed to flourish. It is only natural to feel disturbed by the injustice and evil whether in our own lives or in the world and we grieve when people get away with their wrongdoing and goes unpunished for their evil deeds. We want justice to be done in our own timing. However, in verse 7, Asaph acknowledges that, one day, God will judge the wicked. This is an important shift of perspective which we must apply in our own lives. This Psalm describes God as the ultimate judge — righteous, holy, fair, and equitable in all things. God is the only one capable of righting every wrong, the only one we can trust to always do the right thing. Otherwise, it is our human tendency to judge everything: people, places and so on. We are almost never satisfied with what we see about life on the basis of our judgments. A realization of this truth can free us from self-condemnation or a tendency to condemn others.

Even though others are doing better than us, we should not let these issues that bother us and that can cause us to be anxious. It will take a toll on us mentally and physically and this will spillover to our relationships with others. Most of the time these issues are beyond our control and we must fully surrender it to God.  The Psalmist placed his faith in God that he remembered God’s faithfulness in the past and did not doubt that God will bring about a resolution to the wicked. When we fully surrender to God, we can find comfort and hope. We must realise that God is in control just like Asaph when he said when the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is God who keep steady its pillars (V.3). This is a beautiful image- when the world around us seems to be failing apart, God is the one who will keep things steady. As long as this is true, we don’t have to worry about the world crumbling around us, we don’t have to worry about injustice happening around us. Let us not doubt God’s faithfulness and his promises to His children and to cut off the ‘horns’ of the wicked.

Personal reflection:

  1.  How does knowing God is a righteous and fair judge change your perspective of the world around you? 
  2. Does knowing God is in control and he is the one steadying the pillars of your life bring you comfort and peace?

Prayer

Thank you, Heavenly Father, that you are God of love as well as justice. Grant me peace and teach me to surrender our lives into your hands knowing that all our circumstances are in Your control. I take comfort in knowing that You are a loving, merciful and just God.

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