They repay me evil for good and leave my soul forlorn.

Forlorn is a great word here.  When a friend misjudges your actions, and spreads it around as truth, or when you do something kind, and the person throws it  back in your face – forlorn definitely describes the condition of your heart.

vs. 27  The Lord be exalted who delights in the well-being of his servant.  But,  we know the One who delights in our well-being.

vs. 22  O Lord, you have seen this; be not silent.  We know the One Who sees it all.

vs. 10  Who is like you, O Lord:  You rescue the poor from those too strong for them. We know, and are loved by, the Great Rescuer of our souls.  He an be trusted to make a forlorn heart fill with joy again.

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Because of Jesus, those of us who are born again believers are those ON WHOM HIS FAVOR RESTS! Hallelujah, Amen!

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.

The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Notice that these verses don’t say that He takes their troubles away, but rather, that He delivers them from their troubles.  In the days of Noah, God did not remove the flood, but provided an ark for safety to ride out the flood.  All who were in the ark were saved.  Jesus is our Ark of Safety.  Though troubles may be all around us, He provides a refuge in the midst of them.

From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth – he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

In case we missed it before, here it is again.  The Lord looks down from heaven, from the spiritual realm.  He sees us, observes our comings and goings, and considers it all.

vs. 18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

He is not the great overseer, ready to whip us into shape.  He is the Great Lover of Our Souls, concerned with our lives and times on earth.  The Book of James says our lives are “but a mist” in the scope of eternity, but God has a plan for that “mist”.  He is involved and ever-watchful.

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

No matter the trouble – broken relationships, difficult marriages, job and financial loss, we are safe in our Jesus hiding place.  He is our Ark of Safety.  There He surrounds us with songs of deliverance, reminders of an eternal perspective:  we are saved, Jesus walks with us, the Holy Spirit guides us, God calls us His child.  Someday we will be in heaven with Him.  Can you hear it?…. the song of deliverance?

But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”  My times are in your hands;…”

This is the key to living the Christian life, but if you have not spent time in the Word of God, and let Him teach you Who He is, and how much He loves you, then how will you be able to seek refuge in Him and say, “my times are in your hands.”

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.  When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Jesus understands the human condition, and the state of His disciples’ hearts very well.  When they see Him and fall to worship, some have doubt.  The Amplified Bible says ” He broke the silence” and spoke to them.

On the mount of Transfiguration when the disciples were overwhelmed by the presence of God and the appearance of Moses and Elijah, they fell to the ground, afraid.  Jesus spoke to them, “Do not be afraid”, and He touched them.  (Matthew 14: 25-31).  There was doubt, but there was also the voice of the Lord, and His hand reaching out.

So…our fear, our doubts, our questioning do not put God off; instead, from His inexhaustible mercy, He reaches out to assure us.

Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”  “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.  When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.  Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?”  But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge – to the great amazement of the governor.

As I read through this chapter, I saw that Jesus didn’t answer to any false accusations.  He only answered to the truth.  There is a lesson here: when people falsely accuse you, let it go.  Don’t defend yourself.  Answer only to the truth.  That means avoiding reactions to insulting or false statements, and learning to respond carefully to the truth.  Jesus is definitely our example in this:  Proverbs says “A quiet answer turns away wrath.”