Psalm 11
June 23, 2024 In the Lord I take refuge;
how can you say to my soul,
“Flee like a bird to your mountain,
2 for behold, the wicked bend the bow;
they have fitted their arrow to the string
to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
3 if the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?” [a]
4 The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord’s throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
5 The Lord tests the righteous,
but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
6 Let him rain coals on the wicked;
fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face.
This is the Word of the Lord. Let’s pray.
Our Father, we are so glad You are on Your throne in Heaven. You are righteous and
good; You see everything, even into our hearts, and we know that You will bring all
things to justice. What a comfort to us when we look around and see ungodliness,
unrest, and uncertainty—when it feels like the foundations are destroyed and we
wonder if there’s much we can do. We know, Lord, that there is much You can do. Help
us to trust You with what is out of our hands, to faithfully steward what You do give us to
us, and to be able to distinguish which is which.
We pray for the leaders of our countries and cities, and for those who uphold the
laws—those to whom more power has been given. We pray that they would work
toward justice for all and freedom that grants us to live quiet, godly lives as we share
Your good news with those around us.
And Father, as we spend more time outside and with neighbors this summer, we ask
that You would give us opportunities to both show and speak of Your love. Please open
doors for your message—wide enough that we would recognize them—and give us the
boldness to step into them with the gospel. Prepare the hearts of the people around us,
whether neighbors or coworkers or relatives or friends, so that by Your Spirit they would
come to know Your love for themselves. Thank You for the privilege we have of being
Your ambassadors to this world, and help us by Your grace to do so faithfully.
We ask all of this in the powerful name of Jesus, and all God’s people said, Amen.