I would like to bring this post to our attention again. It is imperative that the Ekklesia pray for this nation.
This blog was originally posted in October 2021.
It was republished August 8, 2022.
Today is October 31,2023
Reformation Day
This blog is about Psalm 64. I have been asking the Lord to fulfill the words of this Psalm in our nation. That aside, I would like you to read this blog carefully and consider what I have been praying in light of what has been transpiring in this nation. I invite you to pray for this nation, and use this Psalm accordingly. May the Lord minister to you as you read and contemplate His Word.
THE ARROW OF GOD (REVISITED)
TLV stands for Tree of Life Version. It is a Bible put out by the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society. I enjoy reading it very much.
I want to bring to your attention Psalm 64. I have referenced this Psalm before during the past year. Today I want to share with you how I use it to pray for our nation.
Psalm 64 is a Psalm of David. David is lamenting how he is being treated by those around him.
In the margin of this Bible, I have written the month and year, April 2020, next to this Psalm. I do not remember if this was the first time that I read the Psalm; but it was certainly a time when I used it to pray for our nation and our leaders that were going through a trying time.
Let me begin by writing my paraphrased version that I pray.
Psalm 64 is entitled, ‘Protect Me from Conspiracies’. (are my inserts)
“For the music director, a psalm of David,
Hear my (our) voice, O God, in my (our) complaint. Protect my (our) life (lives) from the terror of the enemy. Hide me (us) from the conspiracy of evil doers, from the tumult of workers of iniquity, who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aimed their arrow–(their) bitter words, to shoot them from hiding at the innocent (us), shooting suddenly at him (us), (blatantly) with no fear. They are firming up their evil plan. They talk about setting secret traps. They asked, “Who will see them?” (Father) They are plotting injustices: (they believe) They have completed a perfect plot. (Father, You see them, You know what’s going on?) (You know that…) a man’s inward part and heart are deep.
BUT (You) God will shoot with an (Your) arrow, suddenly their wounds will appear. So their tongue will be their downfall. Then all men will fear. So they will declare (that this is) the work of God, and ponder what He (You) have done. The righteous will be glad in Adonai and take refuge in Him (You, Father). Let all the upright give glory. (and help us Father not to gloat over our enemies undoing. Let us fear and respect.)
It is not a secret that for the past five plus years this nation has endured an onslaught of verbal rhetoric designed to vilify individuals, tear down this nation’s political foundation, ignore our Constitution, and subvert our Republic.
The constant bombardment of words have been designed and deployed to indoctrinate our minds into submission through deceit and lies. This same strategy prevails today (October 22, 2021). Such has been the force of the disparaging vocabulary used daily throughout our media pounding our citizenry into a nation of P.O.W.’s-Prisoner of Words. (See my series: A Nation of P.O.W.’s, 1-5) We have been incarcerated with verbal chains. Slowly, I believe, we are experiencing a breaking of those chains. A liberation is coming.
The thrust of Psalms 64:1-7 is a picture of the verbal incarceration and plans poured out upon us. Beginning in Psalm 64:8, the atmosphere of the Psalm changes with the word, BUT. God is on the scene. A transition happens. David has a break through. David has worked through explaining to God his despair; and now ‘light’ breaks on the scene. God will intervene. How?
God shoots His A.R.R.O.W. God’s arrow is Adonai’s Righteous Revelation Of Wrongdoing.
All those ‘bitter words’ (v3) that have been spewed out upon the ‘blameless’ (v4) without fear of any reprisal or accountability; all those well thought out plans to manipulate situations (v5); all those those verbal traps set to snare their prey (v5) will be exposed.
The evil speaking ones pride themselves in their arrogance believing that no one sees what is going on, no one is paying attention to their schemes; but God sees, and in vs. 8, everything is exposed. There is a ‘knowing’ by all mankind.
Man in his depravity (v6) believes that he can plan and scheme in the deep recesses of his being, in the darkness of his heart, where no one can know or see what is being devised. Verse 6 says, “Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.” Jeremiah said it this way (Jeremiah 17:9,10 NKJV), “The heart is deceitful about all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.” And this is exactly what God does, He gives to the evil speaking ones the fruit of their doings. How?
God shoots His arrow. God exposes their wrongdoing. God causes their ‘bitter words’ to return to them who spoke them, ‘suddenly’ (v7), inflicting upon them ‘wounds’. Verse 8 says, “So He (God) will make them stumble over their own tongue.” Those who spewed out words, inflicting wounds upon others will be wounded by the return of their own words upon themselves.
What is happening? God, who is Light, is exposing the darkness. God, Who is Truth, is exposing the folly, the lies, and the deceit of those who have been perpetrating falsehood as truth. God is peeling back the covering of darkness that blankets this nation.
Verses 7 and 8 counteract the evil ones arrogance found in verse 3. The evil ones in verse 3 “sharpen their tongue like a sword”. In verses 7-8, God uses their tongue as a sword to inflict upon them wounds. The result is their downfall.
It is important to notice the reaction that follows because of God’s intervention shooting His arrow. At the end of verse 8, it says, “All (mankind) who see them (the evil speakers) shall flee away.” What they assumed was done in secret (v5) is exposed to everyone. Secondly, (v9) “All men (mankind) shall fear”. Fear what? The following words tell us what their fear is based upon. The testimony of what the men (mankind) have seen. Their fearful response is the result of them realizing that this is “the work of God” (v9). The verse continues, (9) “For they shall wisely consider His doing.” What has taken place is profound. A response is warranted.
What God chooses to do, and how He chooses to do it, will be a major wake-up call to all mankind. Mankind will witness the power and presence of God intervening in the events of this nation and the nations of the world. It will be time to stop and take a serious inventory of the trajectory of one’s life and the implications of witnessing the presence and power of God manifested in our midst. Throughout the pages of the scriptures, God has stepped in when needed to make a Personal statement reminding humanity of Who He is.
I don’t know what God is going to do, except that He will shoot His ARROW, and I believe there will be A Righteous Revelation Of Wrongdoing. The consequences of this arrow of judgement will be emphatic and profound.
We need, as does all of mankind, to “wisely consider His doing”. (v9)
Verse 10 says that, “The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory.”
The lamenting of David has turned to praise.
Two closing thoughts: 1. the righteous in heart must not gloat, they are to glory in the Lord. 2. The righteous in heart need to pray for those who see the manifest presence of God, are fearing Him, and do not know how to respond. We need to be there for them.
God’s manifest presence is for the purpose of the redemption of mankind.
Why have I shared these thoughts?
I have prayed this Psalm to the Lord, asking Him to fulfill these words in the life of our nation. I have spoken freely in the past on my blog site about what I understood was happening to our nation.
I am still asking the Lord to ‘shoot His ARROW’ and reveal the truth, exposing the lies and deceits that have been thrusted upon us. Have we been a perfect nation? Absolutely not! We are a nation that has turned it’s back on God. God is a God of justice. God is a righteous God. God is Sovereign. I am praying that God will be compassionate and merciful to us and forgive us of our sin. We need to seek His face and turn from our wicked and evil ways. We are not exempt from God’s judgement. The release of God’s ARROW into our midst might be the very impetus that is needed to awaken us and turn our hearts to God. I pray that that is true.
We are in a spiritual battle. I pray for those in authority over us. I do not agree with most of their decisions; however I do not pray against our leaders. I commit them to God. God rules and reigns over the hearts of men. I do pray against their policies that I am not in agreement with for our nation.
Ephesians 6:12-18 outlines for us the spiritual battle that we face. We are not wrestling against flesh and blood but against principalities, and powers, and rulers of darkness in the heavenlies. There are principalities and powers of darkness shrouding this nation. We are being assailed by darkness; however, the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Light is more powerful; and it WILL dispel the darkness.
We, the Ecclesia of God, the Church, the Israel of God, must STAND against the “wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 12:11). If there is going to be a change; if there is going to be a defeating of the spiritual forces in our nation, then God’s Ecclesia needs to fast and pray. God WILL respond. He WILL shoot His ARROW. The enemy WILL be wounded. The lies and deceit WILL be exposed. Mankind WILL witness the Presence and Power of God in our midst, and our nation WILL be changed.
God WILL mobilize His Ecclesia, empowering them by the Holy Spirit to engage this nation with the message of the Gospel, the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and the preaching of the Word of God for all mankind.
Things WILL change. Truth WILL prevail. God WILL be glorified.
Habakkuk 2:14, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (NKJV)
blessings, deo
Living Words of Encouragement 