Closer Day 7

Crosspoint City Church

Closer Day 7

January 20, 2024

Read: Read Psalm 35:11-28

Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know.12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft. 13 But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest.14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning.15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me; wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;16 like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth.17 How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions!

18 I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.

19 Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause.20 For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit.21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!”22 You have seen, O Lord; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me!23 Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord!24 Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness,

and let them not rejoice over me!25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart's desire!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”26 Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me!27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.

Reflect:

In the remainder of Psalm 35, David continues calling out to God as he remembers fasting, praying, and lamenting for those who were now attacking him. David had been merciful, compassionate, and caring. He had treated them well during their adversity, and now that David was experiencing adversity, these people repaid his kindness with evil. In the midst of his pain, David didn’t retaliate. Instead, he continued asking God to fight for him, to vindicate him in the presence of his enemies. He asked God to expose their evil deeds and put them to shame. David isn’t asking God to be a vigilante; he’s asking God to set things right. As a result, the righteousness of God is revealed, he would be restored, and the Lord’s name would be praised.

It’s not hard to identify with David. Have you ever shown kindness and mercy towards someone only to have them treat you poorly in return? Have you ever had a friend betray you? Have you ever felt hated without cause or been shamed in a moment of weakness or adversity? In this Psalm, David prays for God to fight for him. He prays for his enemies to be exposed and put to shame. He prays to be vindicated before his enemies and praises the Lord because he knows God will come through. This is exactly how we should respond as well. We love our enemies, we pray for them, we pray for God to fight for us, and we trust Him to set things right.

This is a picture of the Gospel. Jesus was repaid evil for kindness. He was hated without cause. He was even betrayed by those closest to Him. However, He didn’t retaliate but demonstrated perfect love on the Cross. He fought for us, and through His death and resurrection, Jesus was vindicated before His accusers and vindicates all who believe.

Prayer:

Pray for the Holy Spirit gives eyes to see the God who fights for you. Pray for a heart to love your enemies and pray for them. Pray for the Lord to expose the evil of those who attack you for your faith and that they would encounter the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ.

More from Closer: 21 Days of Prayer (2024)

Closer Day 21

February 3, 2024

Read: Psalm 44 1O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old: 2 you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free; 3 for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them. 4 You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob! 5 Through you we push down our foes; through your name we tread down those who rise up against us. 6 For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. 7 But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us. 8 In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah 9 But you have rejected us and disgraced us and have not gone out with our armies. 10 You have made us turn back from the foe, and those who hate us have gotten spoil. 11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter and have scattered us among the nations. 12 You have sold your people for a trifle, demanding no high price for them. 13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, the derision and scorn of those around us. 14 You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples. 15 All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face 16 at the sound of the taunter and reviler, at the sight of the enemy and the avenger. 17 All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten you, and we have not been false to your covenant. 18 Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way; 19 yet you have broken us in the place of jackals and covered us with the shadow of death. 20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, 21 would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart. 22 Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. 23 Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! 24 Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression? 25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly clings to the ground. 26 Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love! Reflect: Humiliation and failure can lead us to some pretty scary places. When these things happen, it can be easy to question God and His goodness. This reality is seen through Psalm 44. The beginning of the psalm (v.1-8) reflects God’s faithfulness as He has given Israel victory over their enemies time and time again. However, past performance does not always mean future success. It seems that Israel was dealt a humiliating defeat at the hands of the nation’s enemies. This leads the psalmist to accuse God of abandonment (v. 9), of making Israel the object of disgrace and shame (v. 15) and leading them to death (v. 22). We can't know the entire context of Psalm 44, but we can hear the disappointment and frustration of the psalmist in their failure. Isn't it amazing how quick we can be to accuse God when we put expectations on Him that He doesn't meet? Although this can be a natural response, we can’t stay in this place forever. Even when it feels like everything you had planned goes down the drain, we have a God that uses and redeems our failure and even our humiliation (Rom. 8:28). God has done this all through Scripture and continues to do this in the lives of His people each and every day. Even while under the shadow of failure, the psalmist remembers that God does not fail. Although the sting of humiliation and defeat are like an open wound, he remembers the unending love of God and goes to Him in prayer in expectation of His rescue (v. 26). Life has a way of bringing us to our knees and even bringing out frustration towards God. However, in those moments, all we have to do is fix our eyes on the cross of Christ and know that God has done more for us than we could ever ask in giving us Jesus. Prayer: God, thank you for being a God that wastes nothing. Even in failure and humiliation, You are piecing together a perfect story in spite of our failure. Through Your Spirit, free us from feelings of anger, frustration, or even entitlement as things turn out differently than how we planned. Thank you for Your steadfast love.

Closer Day 20

February 2, 2024

Read: Psalm 43 1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me! 2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. Reflect: The Psalms have many strong characteristics, but one of the strongest is the honesty that can be found in these texts. There is no sugar-coating or taking the edge off of any emotion that is directed at God. It’s great news to know that we can go to our King without having to fix ourselves or manage our emotions, but in full honesty, we can talk to God and know that He not only listens but also that He deeply cares. In Psalm 43, we see this honesty in vivid detail as the psalmist is dealing with hatred and oppression that is coming from his enemies. In the midst of these attacks, he cries out, “why have you rejected me? (v.2)” Although we are not facing enemies on a literal battlefield, we are at odds with the broader culture that surrounds us. As we walk through and navigate life, there might even be times where you feel alone and isolated as you seek to follow the Lord. In these times, take heart: God has never left your side. In spite of the honest cries of abandonment from the psalmist, he ultimately comes back to finding comfort in the presence of an unfailing God. The writer shares that God’s faithfulness and light leads him to a “holy mountain” (v. 3). It is this precious place where we will experience God as our joy and delight, regardless of what is going on around us. Prayer: Father, we are grateful that You allow us to come to You with our emotions and pleas with full honesty. The fact that You receive us as loved sons and daughters is a gift that we do not deserve. Thank you for not abandoning us even when we lack faith. Encourage us and strengthen us as we live out the mission You have given each of us in a world that continues to grow more challenging for those who are trying to be faithful to You and Your Kingdom.

Closer Day 19

February 1, 2024

Read: Psalm 42 1As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation 6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. 8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. Reflect: To have an encounter with God starts with a desire for Him. It is not something that we can conjure up or will into happening. The experience of intimacy with God comes when it is the very thing that we want the most. In our text, we see the psalmist say that they yearn for God as a deer “pants for flowing streams (v. 1).” This is someone who desperately yearns for what only God can give. As the psalm progresses, we see that one of the reasons the psalmist is so desperate for God is that they are struggling. They are in a dark moment of life that they describe as so painful that they cry out, “tears have been my food day and night (v. 3).” That sounds about as dark as it gets. Have you ever been there? Somewhere where the pain is great, and there seems to be no hope in sight. Although these places are scary, they are also places where we trust God with pain and fear. He is our everything. He is our only place of comfort and peace. In the middle of the despair of the psalmist, he comes back to the foundation of his life. In the midst of difficulty and an attack from those who hate him, he finds a ray of hope. This hope drives a renewed perspective, even in the valley of life, that causes him to plead hope over his soul. To his soul, he cries out to “hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God (v.11).” This might be the very thing that God is calling you to do today. Even if you don’t feel like praising God because of the circumstances that you find yourself in, to command your soul to remember the hope of your salvation breathes new life, a new hope, into our hearts. It is this hope that reminds us that there is nothing in this life or this world that we have to fear. This truth should provide comfort and peace to us even in the lowest points of our lives. Prayer: Thank you for being a God who saves. Thank you for being a God that uses and redeems all things in our life for Your glory and our good. Help me to trust You more. Through Your Spirit, remind me of the unshakable hope that You have given me through salvation. Fortify my soul, drive out fear and anxiety, and allow me to experience Your peace, knowing that You can be trusted with everything.