Reveal | Day 11- March 6 | Psalm 14

Imagine being bullied by someone who is bigger than you. At what seems like the very last minute, your even bigger friend shows up to protect you. Imagine your relief as you watch the bully retreat. This psalm of King David reminds me of innocent people who need a protector.

David, the shepherd boy, spent weeks, months, perhaps a few years getting to know those sheep, that field, the changes of seasons, the weather, and the host of stars visible on a clear night. At the same time, his knowledge of his Creator grew. When he heard people declare, “There’s no God!” David regarded them as “spiritually ignorant.”

David imagines God looking down on humanity from his heavenly perspective to see who might be wise and seeking God. In David’s view, God only finds corruption and no one doing good (v. 3). These evil people, who never seem to learn, “eat up” God’s righteous followers as quickly as they eat bread. Prayer doesn’t ever occur to them (v. 4). Suddenly, in verse 5, the perspective changes, because the evil realize that God stands with his righteous followers. Verse 6 declares that God is the Protector of his people. David wants to know who will rescue and restore Israel (v. 7). The implication is that the rescuer will come from Mount Zion, God’s holy hill, which is Jerusalem. Israel and Jacob are both names for God’s people. In the end, they will joyfully rejoice, because God, their Protector, has restored them.

When Christ lived on earth and his disciples walked with him, they were intrigued with how Christ prayed. They understood that God is entirely separate from us. God was to be feared and respected. While the disciples had certainly prayed all their lives, Christ’s prayer life intrigued them. So, they asked Christ how to pray. Imagine their shock when Jesus began praying: “Our Father.” That was completely surprising intimacy! God as Our Father! Think of it!

And with that Father, the picture of a corrupt humanity had improved. Our Father was interested in ushering in the Kingdom here on earth so that God’s will would be done here on earth just as it is done in heaven (Matthew 6:10). One of the ways the Kingdom has arrived is by God allowing all his righteous followers, that is, all of his children, both brothers and sisters, to call him “Father.” When we say, “Our Father,” we stand united in God’s Kingdom business here on earth. What a privilege!