I’ll use Psalm 8:1

My Shepherd waited for me in His green pastures. I stood before the throne, my hands too heavy to lift. I kept thinking, “Why don’t you say something?” I waited. Finally, I raised my hands, presented my sacrifices, and without anticipation of welcome or rebuff, I walked into the green pastures. My Bible opened to Psalm 83, and I heard the Shepherd speak:

Psalms 83:1 ¶ Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

I know it’s Asaph’s psalm: a prayer for a time when God’s enemies prevail, and his felt need was for God to speak. I can relate!

The Holy Spirit has ministered comfort to saints who, 3000+ years ago, felt like I do today.

Along the still waters, I walked with the LORD, and read this psalm to Him (Read verses 2-5): they are your enemies, LORD, they have taken crafty counsel against your hidden ones, they desire to destroy this “One nation under God,” they have said, “let us cut them off from being a nation,” they are remarkably united in their hatred of You (Psalm 83:2-5).

He spoke: Jerry, few have emphasized the prophecy of Psalm 2 more than you: “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed” (Psalm 2:1-2). How can you not understand what’s happening here? I have told you from the words of their hearts what is their complaint, and their objective: “Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us” (Psalm 2:3). I heard laughter roll across the heavens like thunder over our heads (Psalm 2:4).

My Shepherd spoke: “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). My payer was carried to the Father’s heart upon the words of His Son as I read verses 6-18, with special attention given to verse 12: In their hearts they plot: “Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession” (Psalm 83:12).

Suddenly, we were in the valley, standing together in the shadow of His Cross, as His voice was like the calm He displayed in Gethsemane when, fully resigned to drink the cup, He said to His weary disciples: “Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners” (Mark 14:41), and then, immediately after, said: “Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayers me is at hand” (Mark 14:42). Indeed, as Paul, by the Spirit exhorted us: “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11).

I prepared to go to the table, and He called me back: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Of course, I said, and dutifully lifted my cross, and followed Him to the table.

He spoke to me there a while: Herod was king of Israel when Jesus walked the earth, and His only response to John’s imprisonment was a beautiful pre-eulogy, honoring the first Baptist (Matthew 11:4-12).*

Then He anointed my head with His oil, filled my cup with today’s portion, carefully adding His sustaining grace, and bid goodness and mercy to watch my 6 as we went together into the harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live later this afternoon. I’ll text the link, but wanted to post this devotion before. Meanwhile, I remind you: “Prayer First,” and specifically for all who are in authority, and you might take a cue from Asaph and Paul (compare Psalm 83:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 3:2).

[*In fact, when Jesus heard that John had been cast into prison, He departed to Galilee, about 80 miles north, away from where John was imprisoned. Also, notice that the messengers of John departed with Christ’s message for this beloved prophet before He gave his eulogy.]