1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous;
your laws are rejected by him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”
7 His mouth is full of lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
9 He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
10 His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;
he covers his face and never sees.” NIV
At the beginning of this psalm, in verse 1, the writer displays a sincere vulnerability in questioning God. Have you ever felt this way? Describe the type of circumstance and feelings that lead to these vulnerable questions.
What if God were to remain silent and refuse to answer the questions of verse 1?
Looking at verses 2-11, make a list of the successes of the wicked.
From what these verses describe, characterize the attitude that these successes produce in a person.
Find each time that the Lord is mentioned in verses 2-11. Why does the writer bring the Lord into this?
The first 11 verses of this psalm leave us with a dissatisfied heart. Why is it important to pray like this sometimes?
::::: Equipping Challenge :::::
Choose an injustice to be dissatisfied about today— and then, with that injustice in mind, use these first 11 verses as a heart-felt prayer to the Lord.
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