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Psalms 10
1Why do you stand far off, LORD? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2In arrogance, the wicked hunt down the weak. They are caught in the schemes that they devise.
3For the wicked boasts of his heart’s cravings. He blesses the greedy and condemns the LORD.
4The wicked, in the pride of his face, has no room in his thoughts for God.
5His ways are prosperous at all times. He is arrogant, and your laws are far from his sight. As for all his adversaries, he sneers at them.
6He says in his heart, “I shall not be shaken. For generations I shall have no trouble.”
7His mouth is full of cursing, , and oppression. Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.
8He lies in wait near the villages. From ambushes, he murders the innocent. His eyes are secretly set against the helpless.
9He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush. He lies in wait to catch the helpless. He catches the helpless when he draws him in his net.
10The helpless are crushed. They collapse. They fall under his strength.
11He says in his heart, “God has forgotten. He hides his face. He will never see it.”
12Arise, LORD! God, lift up your hand! Don’t forget the helpless.
13Why does the wicked person condemn God, and say in his heart, “God won’t call me into account”?
14But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand. You help the victim and the fatherless.
15Break the arm of the wicked. As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none.
16The LORD is forever and ever! The nations will perish out of his land.
17LORD, you have heard the of the humble. You will prepare their heart. You will cause your ear to hear,
18to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may terrify no more.
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Questions this passage answers
Who is God?
God is the one living Creator who made everything and depends on nothing, and Scripture answers this question mainly by telling us his character rather than by defining his substance. When God described himself to Moses he said he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in loving kindness and truth, and yet will by no means clear the guilty. The New Testament adds that this God is finally known in Jesus Christ, who has made him known.
Who wrote the Bible?
The Bible was written by many human authors over a long period, and Scripture presents itself as God-breathed rather than as human opinion. Some books name their writer, some do not, and honest study says which is which. Paul calls every Scripture God-breathed, and Peter says no prophecy came by the will of man but that people spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, which is the Bible's own account of how both authors are involved at once.
Can the Bible be trusted?
Scripture claims to be true and invites examination rather than avoiding it. It says God's word is truth and that it stands when everything else fades, and the New Testament writers appeal to eyewitnesses, named places and public events rather than to private experience. Trust in Scripture is finally trust in the God who speaks in it, and the clearest reason a Christian gives for that trust is that Jesus treated these writings as God's own word.
How should I pray?
When the disciples asked this, Jesus answered with a pattern rather than a technique. Pray to your Father, in private, without performance and without needing many words, because he already knows what you need. The prayer he gave begins with God's name, kingdom and will, then asks for bread, forgiveness and protection. Scripture adds that we may bring everything, that the Spirit helps our weakness, and that we can ask with confidence when we ask according to God's will.