Destroy them, Lord, and confuse their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city. Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders, but the real danger is wickedness within the city. Murder and robbery are everywhere there; threats and cheating are rampant to the streets. Psalm 55: 9-11 NLT
Gated communities pop up all over our town. Sometimes they are in the most unlikely places! But I often wonder what they are trying to protect themselves from. What about all the bad things the people who own property there are already doing? Does living in a gated community really keep you safe?
The psalmist looks at his own city and sees the fortified walls and the constant guards. But looking around him he also sees high crime and injustice. The real danger is within rather than without.
Sometimes I think I am like that in my personal life. I am on my guard against others who do and say wicked things. But what about my own thoughts and actions? Are they really that good or that godly? While looking at the world, I may try to protect myself against certain things but I am missing the rotten things within.
God, help us to look inside ourselves for our own wickedness and depravity. Then we can be better protected against what threatens us within and without. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims
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