Lenten Devotion for Tuesday, February 23

Today's lessons:

Psalm 17

Zechariah 3:1-10

2 Peter 2:4-21

Author:

Alicia Dailey

Salem Lutheran Church, Sycamore

Youth Representative for the Northern Illinois Synod Council

Theme verses:

Psalm 17

Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit. From you let my vindication come; let your eyes see the right.

If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress. As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words. Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.

Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who despoil me, my deadly enemies who surround me. They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly. They track me down; now they surround me; they set their eyes to cast me to the ground. They are like a lion eager to tear, like a young lion lurking in ambush.

Rise up, O Lord, confront them, overthrow them! By your sword deliver my life from the wicked, from mortals—by your hand, O Lord— from mortals whose portion in life is in this world. May their bellies be filled with what you have stored up for them; may their children have more than enough; may they leave something over to their little ones.

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.

Meditation:

Psalm 17 is quite simply a prayer for safety, the psalmist is praying from his heart, although he may seem arrogant at times he is ultimately praying for safety from the evil in his life.

Praying is such an important part of faith, it is what makes a relationship with God possible, but sadly it is also one of the easiest things to forget to do.

Everyone has prayed for safety before, even those who don’t believe in God have prayed for safety. Little kids pray to be kept safe from the monsters under their beds while adults pray to be kept safe from much scarier monsters in their lives.

We all want safety in our lives, safety from the evil that is all over, from the things that we don’t understand, from the uncertainty that clouds our future.

In my opinion the best part of this prayer is the very last sentence, “As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.”

The psalmist trusts God completely, he knows that God will provide for him and in return he will try to walk in God’s footsteps.

This is something we all should try to remember, no matter how hard life gets, no matter how much evil seems to be surrounding us, God is always there and is always listening to our prayers.

Just knowing that you have God on your side can help you keep so much evil at bay. And the rest of it, the things that are out of your control, those are the things that you leave to God.

Prayer:

Abba, I know that you will keep me safe from all the evil things in this world. I pray to you to help me trust in you completely. I ask this because I know that you are always watching over me, even when it doesn’t seem like it. Help me to do what I can to walk in the light and leave what I can’t control up to you.

Amen.