August 20-Psalm 129

Happy Wednesday. For the last several day, i have been running and running. Last night I was completely exhausted. Do you ever feel like you are a slave to your job or you have just over committed yourself? To the point you feel afflicted and worn down by them? I think that’s a small taste of what the Psalmist was trying to tell us in this the Ascent Psalm. 

He passionately cries out, 

“From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me. Let all Israel repeat this: From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me, but they have never defeated me.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭129:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Interestingly enough, these verses are not only a journal entry, but a foreshadowing of the suffering Christ would experience while being tried and abused by the religious and political leaders in Jerusalem many years later for the redemption of mankind. 

Persecution will come in many forms for a follower of God. We can be made fun of by even our own friends for our beliefs or lose a job for standing true to our convictions. While the enemy tries to utilize any form of persecution to drive a wedge between us and God, we can find our faith deepening as we cling tighter to Him as we experience times of testing and rejection. There are the times that James tells us to “count as joy because it is an opportunity for growth and the more we grow, the closer we get to perfect and complete.” 

It should come as no surprise when we are mistreated because of what we believe. ““If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.” John‬ ‭15:18-20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“My back is covered with cuts, as if a farmer had plowed long furrows. But the Lord is good; he has cut me free from the ropes of the ungodly.”

‭‭While the enemy is on a hunt to wound us as we journey to our heavenly home, our God has snapped the ties that keep us in bondage to sin by His son Jesus’ death and resurrection. His goodness is greater than any attack from the evil one and has the last word on your life. 

Remember this: “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” John‬ ‭8:36‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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Father of mercy, we thank you for freedom today. You have cut the bonds of sin and released us from the ropes of the evil one. Praise you Lord for your goodness and grace on our lives. Sometimes we have the tendency to want to fall back into the rut so the world will like us and we will fit in. Persecution is hard and there are times when we just don’t want to deal with it. Help us to stand strong in our convictions and to remain firm in our faith. Let us show the world in whom we believe and where our hope lies. When we fall down, help us up. Your grace was huge for Peter and it is huge for us. What an amazing God with a ridiculous amount of love! We adore you and worship you this day. Amen and amen. 

Love you dear friend,

Pam