Psalm 7[a]
A shiggaion[b] of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
1 Lord my God, I take refuge in you;
save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2 or they will tear me apart like a lion
and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3 Lord my God, if I have done this
and there is guilt on my hands—
4 if I have repaid my ally with evil
or without cause have robbed my foe—
5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
let him trample my life to the ground
and make me sleep in the dust.[c]
6 Arise, Lord, in your anger;
rise up against the rage of my enemies.
Awake, my God; decree justice.
7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
while you sit enthroned over them on high.
8 Let the Lord judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity, O Most High.
9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God
who probes minds and hearts.
10 My shield[d] is God Most High,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
a God who displays his wrath every day.
12 If he does not relent,
he[e] will sharpen his sword;
he will bend and string his bow.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he makes ready his flaming arrows.
14 Whoever is pregnant with evil
conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
falls into the pit they have made.
16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;
their violence comes down on their own heads.
17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.
Our city mourns. We struggle with the death of Tyre Nichols. We wonder how policemen could be so brutal, so awful, when they are entrusted with protecting us. We question why these events, these tragedies, occur, keep occurring.
But we have a righteous God who loves us. He showed us by sending his Son. He promises to be our refuge, our shield. Even when we can’t see, He can.
Lord, may Your Holy Spirit be present in Memphis, in this city we love. Work through Your children. May Tyre’s death not be in vain. May we ask hard questions and root out evil. Cleanse the hearts of men. Give us strength when we see injustice to carry on. Give us wisdom and discernment for how to move forward. Fill our hearts with love that we may be an extension of the Kingdom.
Lord, we call on You to save us, to deliver us from evil. We have great needs and few laborers. Awake Your body to the call of Christ in our community. May we be a Holy Spirit-led community.
With this ice storm, protect those who must be outside in it. Prevent power lines from falling and pipes from bursting. Protect those on the roads. In Christ’s name, amen.
Amen 🙏🏽