Image from thepreachersword.com
Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God. They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good,no, not one. Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the Lord? There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the company of the righteous. You would confound the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge. O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.(Psalm 14 NRSV)
Bilious and bloated, they gas, "God is gone." Their words are poison gas, fouling the air; they poison Rivers and skies; thistles are their cash crop. God sticks his head out of heaven. He looks around. He's looking for someone not stupid - one man, even, God-expectant, just one God-ready woman. He comes up empty. A string of zeros. Useless, unshepherded Sheep, taking turns pretending to be Shepherd. The ninety and nine follow their fellow. Don't they know anything, all these impostors? Don't they know they can't get away with this - Treating people like a fast-food meal over which they're too busy to pray? Night is coming for them, and nightmares, for God takes the side of victims. Do you think you can mess with the dreams of the poor? You can't, for God makes their dreams come true. Is there anyone around to save Israel? Yes. God is around; God turns life around. Turned-around Jacob skips rope, turned-around Israel sings laughter. (Psalm 14 The Message)
Good day, dear Friend! I pray this finds you well. I've shared today's passage in two versions because it was too hard to decide which would mean more to you. So, please read both. I find more power in the first version, but the modern words of the second emphasize what the psalmist had in his heart as he shared what God shared with him.
If you follow me on Twitter.com (@evalve), you may have read a tweet that I just sent out. It is from a quote from Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist, former shoe salesman, who preached around the world and established the Moody Bible Institute. As he preached, Satan would send hecklers to his campaigns to interrupt his messages or distract him as he preached. One night, an usher handed him a note as he was making his way to the pulpit to preach. Thinking it was an important announcement, he quieted the large audience and prepared to read it. As he opened the folded paper he found scrawled in large print only one word: “FOOL!” Known for his quick wit, Moody looked up and said: “I’ve just been handed a memo which contains the single word – ‘FOOL’. This is most unusual. I’ve often heard of those who have written letters and forgotten to sign their names, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anyone who signed his name and then forgot to write the letter!” He then changed his sermon text to Psalm 14:1 which our cartoon above quotes, "The fool say in his heart, there is no God."
I find it very interesting that David wrote this psalm quite possibly after what we read yesterday. He failed. Miserably. Guilty of sin, he shares what God has shared with him. His actions had betrayed God and so the first verse applies to him, as do the words of the verses that follow; "they are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good." Then he pictures God looking down from heaven on us to see if there is anyone among us who is wise enough to seek God. Nope. Not one. All have gone astray, and all seem to be perverse. They've dedicated themselves to doing the wrong thing. I have to confess the more I read this psalm I did think, Does God mean me? Sadly, yes, He does. And perhaps you, too. We can hide behind the ever-ready, "No one's perfect!" But, are we at least trying to be? The more we hang around with the lost, the more lost we will become. "Useless, unshepherded Sheep, taking turns pretending to be Shepherd. The ninety and nine follow their fellow." (The Message version).
There is Good News. We don't have to stay lost; we don't have to stay in darkness! We have Jesus to lead us out and up! We can turn over to Him our sins and doubts, frustrations and worries, and out we go! The beautiful thing about salvation is not just that we are saved from our sins; we are led into the fullness of life (John 10:10). Goodbye mud; hello shower!
PRAYER: Awesome Heavenly Father, this was for me. I ask for the cleansing flood of Your grace upon my heart, mind, and spirit. Take my hand and guide me to You and Your way. And let me take the hand of those around me so they too can see Your love and light. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! We don't have to be shepherds, but we sure do need to point to the Good Shepherd! Live like we know who He is!
Eradio Valverde
PRAYER REQUESTS: Dear ones, please pray extra hard for Mr. Doug Smith of Wimberley. His prostate cancer has spread to the liver and we need God to remove it - so pray and make that your petition today. Also, Please pray for little Embree Ray Alexander and her parents. She is now on hospice care. She is the baby daughter of Coach Kyle Alexander of Gonzales High School. Pray for God's healing touch on Embree and God's comfort to be with Coach and Mrs. Alexander. Thank you. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
