My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, for I am desolate and afflicted. (Psalm 25:15-16)
In previous devotions we have discussed the plots and schemes of our adversaries and their attempts to destroy God’s people. At times, David seemed to have overly emphasized these things in the prayers he wrote. Naturally, when people are working overtime to set snares and pitfalls in our way, we take note. Furthermore, knowing these nets are out there, we pay close attention to where we step, what we say etc. The point is, knowing the enemy wants to destroy us can provoke us to place our attention on him and what he is doing, effectively diverting our attention away from the only One who can help us.
Consider this in terms of the end time: we read Scripture that describes all the upheaval and tumult predicted to take place in the world as we near the return of Messiah. I would argue that God reveals these things to us, not to scare us, but to prepare us for what is coming. I don’t believe, however, that the preparation for these things should translate into over emphasizing what the enemy is going to do. The emphasis should always be on what God is doing, which is why the enemy works so hard to set pitfalls and snares for those doing God’s Will. All of this is to say, knowing that the kingdom of darkness is at work should provoke us to keep our eyes “ever toward the LORD” and trust Him to “pluck our feet out of the net.”
The priestly blessing that was and is pronounced upon God’s people appeals to the Creator to make His face shine upon us; to lift up His countenance upon us — in short, to turn His face toward us. Obviously, His glory upon our lives brings blessing but also illumination. That certainly comes in handy when one is trying to avoid a net the enemy has laid in our path. My point is, if we desire that God would make His face to shine upon us, it seems that we must be willing to turn our face toward Him — and keep our eyes fixed upon the Author and Finisher of our faith. May it be that He delivers us all from every pitfall and snare and brings us into the fulness of His purpose.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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