Daily Devotional Podcasts

492_Living in the midst of constant danger Psalm 59 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; 2 deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men. 3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, 4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Awake, come to meet me, and see! 5 You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah 6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips— for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?” 8 But you, O Lord, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision. 9 O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. 10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. In 2018, a Thai soccer team of twelve boys and their coach found themselves trapped in a flooded cave system for over two weeks. With rising waters, pitch darkness, dwindling oxygen, and the ever-present risk of drowning, the world watched breathlessly as expert divers navigated treacherous tunnels to bring them out one by one. For days, the boys sat in a small chamber, not knowing if help would come, uncertain whether they would live or die. They had to remain calm, conserving energy and hope, even when everything around them screamed fear. One of the rescuers later said, “The most important thing we told them was: Don’t panic. Stay still. Help is on the way.” This real-life story mirrors the tension of Psalm 59. David, like those boys in the cave, was trapped, with death pressing in. His enemies were not floodwaters or dark tunnels, but men with weapons and a king's command to kill. The backdrop is found in 1 Samuel 19. David had already proven himself as a brave warrior and loyal servant to King Saul. He had killed Goliath, soothed Saul with music, and fought valiantly for Israel. But Saul, jealous and paranoid, became obsessed with eliminating David. Though he once swore to his son Jonathan that he would not harm David, that promise broke under the weight of his envy and insecurity. While David was playing the lyre to comfort him, Saul picked up a spear and tried to pin him to the wall. David narrowly escaped with his life. That night, Saul sent men to watch David’s house and murder him in the morning. His wife, Michal—Saul’s daughter—discovered the plot and helped David escape through a window. Alone and on the run, David wrote this psalm—a cry for help, and a declaration of trust in the face of mortal danger. “Deliver me from my enemies, O my God,” he pleads. “Protect me from those who rise up against me.” “Deliver

491_Surely there is a reward for the righteous Psalm 58 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the children of man uprightly? 2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth. 3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. 4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, 5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter. 6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord! 7 Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted. 8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun. 9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away! 10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.” A missionary in Africa was persistently opposed by a tribal chief who was deeply involved in traditional occult practices. As the missionary continued to preach the gospel of Christ and sought to do good to the people, he was constantly slandered, threatened, and attacked. Often the attacks came from the tribal council that was supposed to administer justice. At one point, this council was swayed by the chief to falsely accuse the missionary of several crimes. He was publicly humiliated and his work nearly came to a halt. But he refused to give up. He humbly persisted in prayer, entrusting himself to the One who judges justly. Within a few years, the chief fell into disgrace, his rule undone by corruption. Many in the village turned to Christ, including some of those who had once spoken lies against the missionary. One of them, in tears, confessed: “We now know you were speaking the truth all along. Your patience and your faith in God’s justice were your greatest sermon.” Psalm 58 echoes this message. It is the outraged cry of a righteous man against injustice and violence. It is the faith-filled plea of someone who believes, against all appearances, that surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges the earth. The psalm begins with a direct challenge to the wicked authorities of that day. They wielded authority, not to uphold justice, but to perpetuate injustice. “Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?” he asks. “Do you judge the children of man uprightly?” The answer is obvious, as verse 2 says: “No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth.” These "gods" are the powerful rulers and judges of his time. They were meant to be stewards of justice under God's authority. However, they had become gods unto

490_God fulfills his purpose for those who trust in Him Psalm 57 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. 2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. 3 He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! 4 My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts— the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! 6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah 7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! 8 Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! 9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! Years ago, a missionary named Alan Gardner set out to preach the gospel in one of the most remote and difficult parts of the world—the southern tip of South America. He and his team faced hunger, sickness, and harsh weather. Eventually, all of them laid down their lives on that desolate shore. When Gardner’s body was finally found, the explorers found his journal nearby. Scribbled with fingers trembling with weakness were his last words: "I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God." Words like this, written with death so near, point to a deep understanding that nothing can ever separate us from the goodness of God. It comes from the unshakable faith that God’s purpose is never frustrated, even in suffering. This sense comes from the knowledge that the storms of life are not meaningless. This is the same faith and courage that David records, in Psalm 57. Hiding from King Saul, probably in the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22), David is surrounded by darkness and danger. And his response? A flood of prayer, interspersed with triumphant and trustful song. The opening words are: “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.” (Psalm 57:1) The long experience David knew, from the long experience of faith, how to transmute desperation to trust. He did not ask that the storm be stilled. He simply lifts his voice to God, calling for mercy. At the same time, with humble boldness, he shelters under the