Psalm 10: Shennandoah National Park
1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous;
your laws are rejected by him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”
7 His mouth is full of lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
9 like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10 His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;
he covers his face and never sees.”
12 Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
13 Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
“He won’t call me to account”?
14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked man;
call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
that would not otherwise be found out.
16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror.
The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ps 10:1–18.
Theme: Persecution, Evil Schemes
Best Verse: 1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
Command to Obey: --
Sin to Avoid: --
Promise to Claim: --
Application to Make: --
Something New About God: God knows we struggle! He included our struggle to connect with him in the Bible!
Reflection: Psalm 10 opens with the cry every Christian makes at some point, "Why God!" It is comforting to know that God knows that we feel like we are on our own. But that's not true. In Fact, God is present with us in our suffering. He knows we suffer, he sees the hearts and all the actions of people - righteous and wicked alike. And we will all be judged. Jesus has experienced terrible suffering and is our great high priest who sympathizes with us.
Shenandoah National Park: We arrived at Shenandoah last night - during another rain storm! We are due for more rain tonight - the weather at Colonial Williamsburg was wonderful, while we we sleeping in a hotel - but stormy at Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah while we're camping. We've seen deer, birds and TOADS! The kids love the toads. We are at Big Meadows Campground which is expansive, with many sites close together. Our site looks further away than others (and it is) but it is still surrounded by tent campers. We are looking forward to hiking and visiting the visitor center today!
