Devotional readings focused on Psalm 5 for the fourth week of January.
If you are a parent of young adult children and you are worried about the proliferation of really bad life choices available to your kids in today's culture, this devotional is for you! Psalm 5 gives us a blueprint for praying for the spiritual protection of our children and grandchildren every morning. Let's dig in!
Monday's reading: Psalm 5
Reflection Questions: Verses 1-3 express David's commitment to daily entrust his life to God's care. How committed are you to daily devotional practices? To praying for your adult children and other loved ones?
Tuesday's reading: Proverbs 6:12-19
Reflection Questions: We are comfortable with the idea of God as perfect love, but these verses describe what God hates. In what ways does this make you uncomfortable? Think for a moment about the innocent victims of evil in this world. Does that help you relate more to these verses' description of God's sense of justice? Are there some ways in which you think God would have you stand up for the plight of the innocent?
Wednesday's reading: II Kings 18:1-19:37
Reflection Questions: This is a long passage, but it illustrates the effectiveness of prayer against evil. As you read through it, take note of the conflict between good and evil. What actions turned the tide of evil and led to victory for God's people?
Thursday's reading: Â Â Isaiah 61Â
Reflection Questions: Isaiah 61 describes the results of God's holiness and justice worked out in the lives of His people in the future. What does this future look like? Make a list of its attributes. What part does rightousness and justice play in shaping this vision of the future?
Friday's reading: Luke 18:1-8
Reflection Questions: In this parable Jesus shared with his disciples, who is Jesus comparing to the unjust judge? What point is He making about God's justice? How does this parable encourage you in your prayer life?
Weekend reading: Romans 8:31-39
Reflection Questions: Paul wrote these verses to encourage us in those times when we face unfair treatment or difficult situations. How does the love of Christ encourage us in those times when we are the recipients of injustice and hardship? Make a list of all the things which cannot separate us from the love of God. How might this list be an encouragement while we wait for God's justice?
Meditation
Before you read any further, take a moment to examine Psalm 5. I'll wait while you get your Bible--it's a quick read!
It's easy to relate to the first three verses, but moving into verse four, did you begin to feel uncomfortable with David's description of God's attitude toward evil people? Verses nine and ten are even more disturbing. They explicitly call for God's judgement. Does that make you squirm a bit? It did me.
Are you the defendant?
Most likely, many of us struggle to reconcile the condemnation of wrongdoers in Pslam 5 and similar psalms with our own experience of God's mercy, forgiveness and love. In fact, C. S. Lewis suggests that our viewpoint as sinners who have the assurance of Christ's forgiveness is exactly what makes these types of psalms difficult to identify with. When we read a psalm calling for judgement, according to Lewis, we see ourselves as the defendant in a court of law with God as the supreme judge. Of course we can't imagine asking with David, "Declare them guilty, O God!" (Psalm 5:10, NIV). We crave God's grace and forgiveness for ourselves and for those we love as well.
The reader as a plaintiff
But this is not how the ancient Israelites would have read this psalm, nor how David intended it. Lewis suggests that we should instead view ourselves as the plaintiffs in a civil court. Imagine this: You are a retired, widowed school teacher whose sole retirement savings was stolen by a corrupt investor and now you are suing to get back what is rightfully yours. You can't live without that money, and you are asking the judge to rectify an egregious injustice. From that viewpoint, it's much easier to say "Declare them guilty . . . By their own devices let them fall!"
Laying out your case
With that scenario in mind, read Psalm 5 again, and picture yourself pleading to the God of the universe against those who would lead your children astray. Suddenly the harsh nature of some of the verses in Psalm 5 makes sense! We rightly ask God to destroy those who would lie to our children (vs. 5) and to keep them far away from us and our loved ones.
This week, as you explore the idea of God's justice and how we might pray for the protection of our children, grandchildren, and all those we love, try praying Psalm 5. Picture each face as you read the words of Psalm 5 over their lives and plead with God as the righteous judge to keep evil far from each one.
Sources
Lewis, C. S. (2025). Reflections on the Psalms. (Kindle). Retrieved from Amazon.com.