“For the LORD will not forsake His people; He will not abandon His heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.” Psalm 94:14-17
Devotional Thought For The Day
There are times when it seems as if there is no one to take our side, to stand with us, to oppose those who attack us and seek our ruin. At such times our enemies look at us as being weak and vulnerable, and are emboldened in their assaults – whether physical and violent or sneaky and conniving. When at our wits end, bereft of energy and stamina to fight off the opposition, the evil one comes with his inner taunts, holding death [the land of silence] before us as either a terrifying nightmare or as a relief from our battles. He will do anything to keep us from fulfilling our duties, the good works which God has prepared beforehand for us to be walking in [Eph. 2:10]. Thank God that when all earthly help fails or deserts us He remains faithful to us!
The “righteous” and “upright in heart” are not people who have overcome all of their sin and always do good. Just the opposite. They are people who are confessing their sin, lamenting their inability to do the good they desire to do, repenting of the sin that plagues their thoughts, words, and deeds. It is God’s justice that returns to them, not the justice of His Law but His justice of the cross, where “mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” [Psalm 85:10] By faith they grasp that because of the atonement Jesus effected for us on the cross, “God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [1 John 1:9] To know this and to believe this is to be “upright in heart,” and all who believe this are accounted to be righteous in God’s sight and are heirs of eternal life, His dear people and His heritage.
The wicked and the evildoers reject this mercy of God. Regardless of the fact that it is utter hypocrisy and self-condemnation, they delight in pressing the sins of others against them, plaguing and afflicting them with accusation and condemnation. But their unbelieving and unmerciful judging will come back down on them, for God will not forsake His people, He will not renege on His gracious mercy and salvation, and He will not abandon His heritage. He will rise up to help His dear people of faith – He will rescue us and strengthen us and empower us to fulfill all of His good and gracious will for us, all to the praise and glory of His grace. Even when no one else rises and stands up for us against such onslaught, God is our help, our shield and tower, and we will prevail. Perhaps nothing plagues and antagonizes the wicked as much as God’s protection and preservation of His dear people, even when they remain poor, miserable sinners!
All of this is instructive for us, especially as we look at the life of the church and our own legacy in this world. Our legacy, and that of the church, can never consist of what we have done; always it is the work of God, the gift of God, that we have become the evidence of His mercy, love and power, into which we have been incorporated by His grace, in His beloved Son Jesus Christ. This is not to say that we ought not will to do of His good pleasure; of course we will to do what is good and right, for He works this in us through the experience of His love. This is not to say that we should not strive to do all manner of good, to live in keeping with real and genuine love, in accord with His Law; it is impossible for those who know God’s love not to love. But it is to say that when all is said and done it is God’s love that is marvelous and miraculous, and that if we are the workmanship of His love in Christ Jesus, through repentance and faith, then we are part of God’s heritage which He will always protect and defend. And as the psalmist experienced and asserted, this will always be enough, even when we are all alone. Thanks and praise be to God!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, eternal thanks and praise to You for all that You have done for us, that we might be part of Your heritage, Your workmanship. Remind us that we do not have to defend and justify ourselves, that this would involve grotesque hypocrisy and delusion. Keep us in humble repentance and faith and trust in Your mercy and love, that we may be upright in heart. Grant us faith and trust that You are our Defender and Savior, that we never fear the wicked and evildoers, that we always be intrepid and courageous in the work You have given us. Amen.