Psalm Seventeen: Apples and Shadows

"I call on you for you will answer me. Give ear to me and hear my prayer.  Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.  Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings." v. 6-8
"You still the hunger of those you cherish; their sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for your children.  And I- in righteousness- I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness."  v 14b-15


God, I pray you hear me when I call- that your love will be so evident, that I will not question your faithfulness.  Please do not forget me, and satisfy my longing for wanting to know "why" all of the time.  I thank you for the hope of seeing all things through your perspective one day, and I know that when that time comes I will be satisfied with how You have worked everything out for good.

I love the idea of a refuge being a nest.  For me, it is the symbol for security, fruitfulness, and hope of new life.  Here I used the three eggs to represent the three babies I had lost up until this point in my life.  It was reassuring to think of them- not as unborn- but as though they were waiting for me under the wings of protection of their Heavenly Father.

And I love when the Psalmist talks about us being in the apple of God's eye.  "The apple" refers to the pupil of the eye.  When we first got Josiah, his eyes were so dark brown, they were almost black.  I would look deep into them and only see a perfect reflection of myself.  What a beautiful word picture that God loves us so much, we are what He is completely focused on.

  It is because the psalmist is focused on the face of God that, as he writes in verse 15,  he displays the character of God in his own life, and therefore is satisfied despite all circumstances that surround him.

Psalm Sixteen: My Cup is Full

"Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. I said to the LORD, "You are my LORD, apart from you I have no good thing." v.1-2
"Lord you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance." v. 5-6


Dear God, we will bear much fruit if we remain steadfast in the safety of Your Word.

NIV note in my Bible says, "The cup refers to what the host offers to his guests to drink. To the godly God offers a cup of blessing."

The three things the psalmist enjoys is
*Safety and protection now
*blessing during life
*an eternal inheritance to come

Psalm Eleven: God Loves Justice

"In the LORD I take refuge..." v.1a

"For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do?" v. 2-3

"On the wicked he will rain fiery colas and burning sulfur, a scorching wind will be their lot. For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice, upright men will see his face." v. 6-7

The psalmist asks God what he can do when the enemy crushes the very foundation of their spirit. The answer is NOTHING. God is the one who will destroy our affliction with more force and punishment than we ourselves can fathom. Therefore, we should not think it is our responsibility to retaliate. In addition, God promises us a gift of seeing His face and knowing Him deeper when the attack is finished.