David had first-hand experience with the wicked, for they chased him from city to wilderness, from valley to mountain and even more. In His conversation, or prayer/song to God, David shared how concerned he was that these rebels had no fear of God nor man. This sounded so much like our world today that I believe it would do our hearts well to meditate on this for just a few minutes.

 

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2021-06-19
WRITTEN AT: Florence, IN

BY: Ed Algreen

 

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 36:1-4
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

 

BIBLE TEXT: 1 Deep in the hearts of the wicked a voice tells them to do wrong. They have no respect for God 2 They lie to themselves. They don’t see their own faults, so they are not sorry for what they do. 3 Their words are wicked lies. They have stopped doing anything wise or good. 4 They make wicked plans in bed at night. They choose a way of life that does no good. And they never say no to anything evil.

 

APPLICATION: It seems like every day we hear reports of more and more things happening where there is no regard for God, family, the church, nor fellow mankind. Crimes become more bizarre, and hatred become more evident among mankind. So many times I have heard Christian leaders say ‘surely we must be nearing the end of time here on earth’, and I believe that’s because they feel like things can’t get much worse. So what do you suppose has happened? We often hear the elderly among us talk about ‘the good old days’, and we resolve in our minds that they are merely challenged with accepting progress, growth and change. But is that really the case? If you look at a body of cloudy water and conclude that it is disgusting, and that it can’t possibly get any worse, you might be surprised to return to that body of water in a few weeks after continued infusion of waste, and you will see that the condition of the water has worsened. So it is with sin, my friend. Notice in our Scripture that each verse contains attributes that David felt added to the sinful condition of his adversaries. Since David’s time we could probably add a few more attributes to the list of things that seem to add to a worsening condition of sinners and their despicable actions. But let us take time to see where this puts us today. But for the grace of God, any of you reading this devotional could also be affected by sin, and therefore acting in ways representative of the evil one. But what has changed our personal situation? Could it be that Almighty God heard the prayer of a loving and caring mother, father or good friend, and He softened our hardened hearts so that we realized the need for Jesus – the Savior of all mankind, who has power over our sin? Could it be that we have a very personal and active relationship with our Master, and through daily communion with Him, He guides us into the truth of His Word and the power of His grace? Could it be that because of the power of our God, we have learned that it is only because of Jesus that we could have power over the evil that so easily besets us and is out to entrap us? Notice that David said in verse 4 that the wicked makes plans at night in their bed. That means that they are stirring up evil in their hearts and preparing to unleash their hatred and anger on an innocent world, where some might be trying to live peaceably through Christ. How’s your heart friend? Are you able to say ‘NO’ to evil every day? It is only through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ that you can do this. For He alone has the power over sin. Is your relationship with God such that you could hear His still small voice directing you to righteousness and peace with your God? If not, let me encourage you to join me in drawing close to God, so that He could draw close to us and work through us to fight the pull of Satan. For the Christian, we serve a righteous and holy God, who wants His followers to be the same as His is. He is our source of strength and righteousness, so we must maintain an honest and upright relationship with Him as long as we are here on earth among the evil of mankind.

 

BLESSING(S) NOTED: David experienced the evil of mankind. Jesus came to provide hope and the joy of eternal life for those who place their faith and trust in Him. Praise God, we have that hope, because things seemed to have worsened since the days of David.

 

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, it is so easy to look around us and see the handiwork of the evil one. Thank You Jesus for the great hope that You give to those who place their faith and trust in You. What a joy to be reminded that Your peace and Your joy goes beyond our everyday victories and into an eternity with You and the Father. Please soften the hearts of unbelievers so that they might see the hope that exists beyond the strife of our daily lives here on earth. May they accept You today Lord, so that they too might be filled with Your love and everlasting joy! Oh that You may be glorified today because Your Word is going out and being accepted by those touched by You. AMEN!

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