Wednesday 22nd April
Read Psalm 5:4-6
For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. 5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; 6you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest.
The psalmist has confidence to pray because of God’s character; this King’s character is expressed both in things that he does and things he doesn’t do. The King has no delight in wickedness; he does not allow evil to dwell with him and he refuses the boastful the right to bring their need before him. David implies that these points don’t apply to him because he knows God and comes before him with humility and therefore God will listen to him. David then lists three things about the Lord’s actions toward the wicked: hating workers of iniquity, destroying those speaking what is false and abhorring violence and rebellion. He is reminding himself that God knows who the wicked are and justice will be done, in God’s time. It is a reminder of the introduction to the psalms, Psalm 1:6: For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. When you pray in times of distress do you remind yourself of God’s character? Maybe it would be good to turn back to the comments on Psalm 3:7-8 of a few days ago!
Geoff Hinch
