Peace....

Psalm 5
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by the flute.

1O LORD, hear me as I pray;

pay attention to my groaning.
2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,

for I will never pray to anyone but you.
3 Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD.

Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
4 O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;

you cannot tolerate the slightest sin.
5 Therefore, the proud will not be allowed to stand in your presence,

for you hate all who do evil.
6 You will destroy those who tell lies.

The LORD detests murderers and deceivers.
7 Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;

with deepest awe I will worship at your Temple.
8 Lead me in the right path, O LORD,

or my enemies will conquer me.

Tell me clearly what to do,

and show me which way to turn.
9 My enemies cannot speak one truthful word.

Their deepest desire is to destroy others.

Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.

Their speech is filled with flattery.
10 O God, declare them guilty.

Let them be caught in their own traps.

Drive them away because of their many sins,

for they rebel against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them sing joyful praises forever.

Protect them,

so all who love your name may be filled with joy.
12 For you bless the godly, O LORD,

surrounding them with your shield of love.

There is a theme I am grappling with at the moment – God is soveriegn. There are the submissive aspects to this, that he deserves the best of my everything – my time, my energy and my resources – and I should not let them be consumed by anything else. But as I grapple with this theme and struggle with the submission a blessing is beginning to strike home to me.

As Lord of my life God takes responsibility for my welfare.

I think David is coming to terms with this blessing in this Psalm, as he speaks of God’s protection over him. The submission is there – David is choosing to follow God’s leading rather than follow his own. But there’s also a joyful acceptance of the walls that God builds around those who love him, so that he can protect them. The Bible is full of promises like this, and the stories of God’s people down through the ages testify to it.

We need to trust that God will look out for us. Part of that is allowing him to guide us, to show us what is best. At first glance this may look different from what we choose it to be. Sometimes following God may mean that we give up on physical safety and material comfort. But we will find ourselves at the centre of God’s will for our lives and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. You cannot buy that kind of security.