17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; 20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. 21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22 The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

As I read the last verse of this Psalm, I am reminded of Romans 8:1 which says: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. What a blessing indeed to know that in Jesus Christ we belong to God. This means we are in his care and under his protection. This means we belong to him and he is watching over us. In the animal kingdom there is nothing more protective than a mother who has given birth. Many animals that are normally gentle and non-aggressive become violent and dangerous if the young one is approached or if they sense it is threatened. This is the kind of constant care and protection that our heavenly Father has for us. He is ever vigilant for our well being. He is ever watchful that we not be tempted beyond what we are able to bear. He is in total control (even of Satan) and will provide us a way to do what is right with every opportunity to do wrong. God wants what is best for us and he knows what that is.

But there is much more than this in these verses. God has forgiven us thru the sacrifice of his Son on our behalf. God describes his forgiveness as not remembering what we did wrong. When we forgive, too often we bring it back up again or we keep it in the back of our minds – just in case. In Christ, God has erased every evil deed, every bad thought and wicked intention that we have ever done. Not only did God forgive us when we became a Christian but he continues to forgive us as we continue to live for him. What a blessing to know that we can go to bed each night without feeling the guilt of our past. We can go thru each day without the weight of our past sin upon us. We can know that our sin was punished in full by the blood of Jesus. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

O God, I thank you for your love and your forgiveness. Please help me to live my life in total appreciation by being committed to doing your will. Give me wisdom to understand your way and strength to stay in it. Help me to keep my mind and heart focused on the things that are above, where Jesus is seated at your right hand. It is in his name I offer this prayer.

May God bless each of us as we live for him and in his peace.