But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.

Psalm 40

But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer;  you are my God, do not delay. v17

I often think I know what what I need...that someone else be a certain way.  Yet, first and foremost, I need Jesus.  I cannot control others nor my circumstances.  God is in control.  

See also posts here and here.

In particular, this one penetrates my heart today:

As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. James 4:17

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You created the heavens, the earth, the universe, and all of its inhabitants.  You are all knowing, all powerful, yet full of love, mercy, patience, compassion, etc. for Your children, including myself - in spite of my sin.  Thank You Jesus!  Please forgive me for my lack of compassion and patience for others and for my worry.  Help me overcome such sin and turn towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Please give her an "all clear mammogram".  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

Psalm 6

All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame. v10

Over the course of our life, others will either purposely or unintentionally hurt us.  That is just the nature of our world.  Although I am not so certain I agree with David's words about how we are to respond to others that hurt us, David is correct that God alone is the source of our protection.  He will strengthen us and give us confidence in peace that He is always with us - our security should rest in Him alone.

In our relationships with others, God provides significant guidance - starting with John 13:34-35:

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

On the subject of revenge and hardened hearts:
^- Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  Colossians 3:12-13
- Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

My Prayer: Lord what an amazing God You are!  I know I have disappointed You and sinned against You greatly....yet Your heart has not hardened against me and You forgive me...Thank You Jesus!  I am not worthy of such a God.  I am harsh with those closest to me.  Please forgive me.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Give me a tender heart...including towards others.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

Psalm 6

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.  Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. v1-2

In this Psalm, David cries out for mercy from God because he knows he has sinned.  This cry for help is something that all of us must do on a daily basis, if not more often.  We should know that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23) and God is the only one who can spare us from our sin.  However, we should not be crying to out God just for his mercy but also to help us repent from our sin, which is to turn away - this turning away requires heart transformation and life change that ONLY God can do.  This is the blessing that Jesus promises in the Sermon on the Mount - God promises blessings for us when we come to Him in humility - we must desperately admit that we are nothing apart from Him (see also John 15).

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

Of course there is more to this story, but repentance and humility are great places to start.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God full of mercy and compassion for me even though I am not deserving...in fact I know I am deserving of death yet You spare me.  You also help me turn from my sin and help me produce fruit!  What an awesome God You are.  Thank You Jesus for knowing everything about me and choosing to die for me...the greatest gift of all time.  Please forgive me for my harshness with others.  Help me turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin, and serve You. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Other Study:
The Disciples Relationships - David Platt 
Colossians 3-4