“Let ruin come on Him unexpectedly, and let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it–to his ruin. Then I will rejoice in the Lord; I will delight in His deliverance.” vs8-9
When God’s saved me from my foes – like guilt, shame, fear, and depression – then I will rejoice in Him. I will not put on a pretended smile and “make due” with this world, but I will come to You, O God Almighty, for help, trusting You to do what no one else can, which is deliver me from sin and temptation, from the assaults of Satan and man.
Do not fear, dear children, as if you are on your own, and you have no Helper. You have God Almighty Himself, who is faithful, so cast your cares upon Him. Do not carry the burden or fight in the flesh. We are not hypocrites: we are dependent on the Lord. Confess your sin and weakness. Confess your inability and shame, and do not fear that He will forsake you! He is the ONLY help we have.
Secondly, when people see you fall and hate you, they rejoice. “But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; they gathered against me. Assailants I did not know tore at me and did not stop. With godless mockery they gnashed their teeth at me [vs15-16].” When the enemies of the Lord saw Him dangling from a tree, they rejoiced. “In the same way even the criminals who were crucified with Him kept taunting Him [Matt 27:44].” When sin, fear, and temptation see you troubled, they kick up their heels. Do not be surprised by this: We have enemies that we must endure, and when times are tough, they will not help us: They want us to turn from the Lord, but turn to Him instead.
Fight the adversaries of your soul by the full armor of God and the shield of faith. Use the sword of God’s word and defeat them [Eph 6:17]. Do not run to men! Do not run to false comforts like fornication, worldliness, and idolatry! Don’t run to your children because you have no help in God, because He delays gratification. Run to Him against whom you’ve rebelled and confess your sins. Turn to His word and draw near. Obtain a precious promise. “Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow [James 4:9].” Meditate on Him until you get encouragement. We must be assaulted, but we must not falter and stay in unbelief.
Finally, let the Lord be praised for my well-being. “Let those who want my vindication shout for joy and be glad; let them continually say, ‘The LORD be exalted. He takes pleasure in His servants’ well-being [vs27].’” I do not want the honor or the glory, because I’ve done NOTHING but be helpless and trust in You. You have done the saving, so may You have the credit.
Jesus glorified the Father, so let us do the same. He trusted Him, so let us do likewise and praise Him in the assembly [vs18]. Take nothing to yourself because you’ve done nothing for yourself.
→ Praise is beautiful and to be directed towards God. Covenant that when He delivers you, you will praise Him, and then fulfill your vows [Lev 7:15]. Do not be slack but do it immediately.
MY DAILY GOSPEL 