The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. 2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3 All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. 4 Will evildoers never learn--those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD? 5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. 6 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge. 7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

One of the most foolish things a person can do is to know of a present danger, close our eyes (literally or figuratively), and then run headlong into the disaster and face the consequences. It is one thing to not know the danger and have the disaster but quite another to know it is there and then go into it anyway. I once knew a lady who, when driving in a large city and entering an intersection, would close her eyes and “give it the gas” to get thru (this is really true). Most would agree this is foolish.

Too many people go thru life, knowing there is a God who loves them and who wants to make their life better but choose to reject him, close their eyes and race thru with no regard for the consequences. The Psalmist says this person is a fool. People live their lives overwhelmed with dread, wondering why there seems to be no purpose for living, while all the time rejecting the God who gives life meaning and purpose.

We can rejoice and be glad because God is our refuge and our salvation. It is he who gives us peace. We find that by submitting to his will and living for him brings us this inner peace and contentment that cannot be found anywhere else. As Paul said it, what have I to fear and what can man do to me? The eternal reward of glory so far exceeds any hardship of this world that there is no comparison. Let’s each of us determine that whatever we face today, we will turn it over to the Lord and know that he can and will handle it. When we do this we have just rid ourselves of every possible reason for worry, for fear and for complaining! Let us rejoice and be glad in this day that the Lord has made and praise him for his goodness!

Dear God, please fill my heart with your love, your joy and the peace that only you can give. Give me the faith and strength to spread this fruit of your Spirit to all that I contact today. I pray for those who are hurting and those who face illness. Give them peace and healing. In Jesus name I pray.
May God bless each of us as we give ourselves to him in faith.