Psalm 83

Psalm 83

O God, do not remain silent;

    do not turn a deaf ear,

    do not stand aloof, O God.

See how your enemies growl,

    how your foes rear their heads.

With cunning they conspire against your people;

    they plot against those you cherish.

“Come,” they say,“let us destroy them as a nation,

    so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”

With one mind they plot together;

    they form an alliance against you—

the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

    of Moab and the Hagrites,

Byblos, Ammon and Amalek,

    Philistia, with the people of Tyre.

Even Assyria has joined them

    to reinforce Lot’s descendants.

Do to them as you did to Midian,

    as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,

who perished at Endor

    and became like dung on the ground.

Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,

    all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

who said, “Let us take possession

    of the pasturelands of God.”

Make them like tumbleweed, my God,

    like chaff before the wind.

As fire consumes the forest

    or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,

so pursue them with your tempest

    and terrify them with your storm.

Cover their faces with shame, Lord,

    so that they will seek your name.

May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;

    may they perish in disgrace.

Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—

    that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

There is a lot of pain that surrounds us. There is a lot of hatred and hurt. There are people spewing terrible things about their fellow man. Love seems to be disappearing and as believers it is easy to be overwhelmed by the pain in this world. It is easy to look at the brokenness and want to hide away from it all.

But we must stand firm in Christ. We must rise up and be His hands and feet. Now more than ever, people need to witness the love of Jesus. We need to point to Him so that more people will seek out His love and His Light.

We can do that in many different ways. We can reach out in kindness and love with every decision we make. We don't have to interact with strangers; others will observe and take notice for how we live in Love. They will notice how we respond to these challenging times on social media. They will notice how we respond to these challenging time as we interact with our families or with complete strangers.

Every action and every word is under scrutiny; every moment has the ability to show the world more of Jesus.

That may seem like a lot of pressure, but we know that we are not in this alone. We know that we are equipped to love by His Holy Spirit. We know that He is the Most High over all the Earth and that gives us the confidence to stand out in Love and shine a little brighter even in these dark times.

We may find ourselves surrounded by pain, hatred and hurt right now. But we have the ability to rest in a Higher Power. We are sustained by His spirit and driven to love as He first loved us. Through His power, we can show the world that truly He is the Most High over all the earth; we can show them how even from on high, He came to this world to save it. To save us. 

Together, we can make this world a better place through His endless love and mighty power.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16