October 17, 2016

THE APPLE OF HIS EYE

Psalms 17:1-9 (16:1-9. LXX)

Listen, O Lord of my righteousness;
Attend to my supplication;
Give ear to my prayer that is not with deceitful lips.
From Your face let my judgment come;
Let my eyes behold uprightness.
You tested my heart, when You visited me in the night;
You tried me in the fire, and found nothing unjust in me.
That my mouth might not speak of the works of men,
I held to hard ways because of the words of Your lips.
Restore my steps in Your paths,
That my footsteps may not slip.
I cried out, because You listened to me, O God;
Incline Your ear to me, and hear my words.
Magnify Your mercies,
O You who save those who hope in You
From those who rise up against Your right hand.
Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
In the shelter of Your wings, You will shelter me
From the face of the ungodly who trouble me.
My enemies surrounded my soul;

Encouraging Words

I love how the psalmist walks through so many of the ways that we can reach out to our Lord to guide us through our journey of life. Our Lord is always there for us, even when we choose to ignore Him and do things our own way. He does this because He loves us so much, and in that love, He also does not remove the consequences of our poor decisions. He will continue to walk with us through these consequences so that we can continue to grow and mature. In the end, we are still the apple of His eye and under His shelter. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!