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Psalms 64
1Hear my voice, God, in my complaint. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the noisy crowd of the ones doing evil;
3who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim their arrows, deadly words,
4to shoot innocent men from ambushes. They shoot at him suddenly and fearlessly.
5They encourage themselves in evil plans. They talk about laying snares secretly. They say, “Who will see them?”
6They plot injustice, saying, “We have made a perfect plan!” Surely man’s mind and heart are cunning.
7But God will shoot at them. They will be suddenly struck down with an arrow.
8Their own tongues shall ruin them. All who see them will shake their heads.
9All mankind shall be afraid. They shall declare the work of God, and shall wisely ponder what he has done.
10The shall be glad in the LORD, and shall take refuge in him. All the upright in heart shall praise him!
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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.