Year 5, Day 189: Psalm 43

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Protection

• Protection: In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray that God might deliver us from evil – even the Evil One.  Sometimes we need God’s protection from the sin around us.  Sometimes we need protection from the sinful people around us.  Other times we need protection from the sin that lies within ourselves. In any case, Jesus’ point is clear.  We need protection from the Father to make it through each and every day.

We can see that Psalm 43 is a natural extension of Psalm 42, which is one of the reasons that some Bibles – especially Jewish Old Testaments – place it as a part of Psalm 42.  The context is similar.  We even have the repeated chorus that expresses the battle between human reason and the soul.

As we look at this psalm, we hear the continued plea of the psalmist.  However in this portion of the psalm we hear more than just the internal struggle between knowing that we are with God and actually living as though God is protecting us.  Here we can hear the psalmist call out for protection and vindication.  Here we listen as the psalmist attempts to rouse God.  Here we can take note that the psalmist calls God his defender.

We do ask God to defend us from the unrighteous.  However, we also have to understand that if we ask God to defend us, that He will defend us in a way and timing of His choosing.  For the record, His way and His timing are always best.  But this is an important lesson to learn.  If God is our defender, we need to let Him be our defender and in His wisdom choose the means with which to accomplish our defense.  While we might want quick and harsh judgment that metes out God’s wrath, God may want to go about our defense a different way.

But He is still our defender and our protector.  And we are still His people.  Thanks be to God.

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