Psalm 64 (Listen)
64:1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the throng of evildoers,
3 who whet their tongues like swords,
who aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from ambush at the blameless,
shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see them?”
6 They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.
7 But God shoots his arrow at them;
they are wounded suddenly.
8 They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;
all who see them will wag their heads.
9 Then all mankind fears;
they tell what God has brought about
and ponder what he has done.
10 Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult!
Devotional:
Then everyone will fear and will tell about God’s work, for they will understand what he has done. The righteous one rejoices in the Lord and takes refuge in him; all those who are upright in heart will offer praise. (Psalm 64:9-10 CSB)
Fear can be a powerful motivator. The Bible is full of stories of God punishing sin and bringing destruction to evil people and nations. Some of those stories still make us wonder and fear today, and when bad things happen, we often question if it is God’s wrath being poured out. Here, though, the psalmist encourages the righteous to rejoice. God isn’t out to get us — He sent His Son to save us because of His great love that drives out fear. Trust that He loves you and equips you to do His will. Ask Him to turn your fear to a faith that bubbles up in a contrite heart to produce effervescent exultation.
Pray it: Father, help me to be both comforted and challenged by the fact that you will punish sin, living with confidence that the evils around me will not prove victorious and rejecting the lures of the sin that deserve punishment. Amen.
Share it: Share a verse or thought from this passage with someone today.