Briefing: When I was little, I loved to sing the song, “Yes, Jesus loves me”. It ended with, “The Bible tells me so.” That was how I was supposed to know He loves me but I also know because I can see His love at work in my life.

Dispatch (Assignment): Read Psalm 135.

On the Street: Verses 1 and 2, “Praise the LORD. Praise the name of the LORD; praise Him, you servants of the LORD, you who minister in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God.” This is a call to peace officers to praise the LORD. We are God’s servants who minister to His people. We know this because Romans 13:4 calls us “God’s servants” two times.

Verse 3 tells us, “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to His name, for that is pleasant.” Do you believe that God is good and He only wants the best for you? God is in heaven, He knows what the future holds. He has a bird’s eye view of the path you are on.

Imagine you are running through a dense jungle. You have someone in a helicopter flying above you. They are looking down on you and looking ahead to make sure there is nothing dangerous in your way. All of a sudden they radio down to you and tell you to take an immediate left. When you do, you fall into quicksand but, fortunately, there is a low hanging tree you are able to grab ahold of. When you get to the place you were seeking, you see the helicopter landing. You run over to it. You are upset because the quicksand ruined your new boots and made of mess of everything you were carrying, not to mention finishing out the last couple of miles covered in heavy mud.

The helicopter pilot calmly and patiently listens as you vent. When you are finished, he tells you the reason he told you to turn left into the quicksand. Just on the other side of the path, you could not see the 100 foot drop that would have killed you. If you had turned to the right, you would have run into a jaguar that had been pacing you, waiting for an opportunity to attack, not only that but if you had turned left too soon or too late, you would have not had the low hanging tree limbs to grab onto.

God has a unique perspective. He not only sees us where we are but He can also see our future. Some of the paths we find ourselves on may not be what we think they should be but we must trust God has our best interest at heart. Verses 8-12 give examples of God saving His children in their time of great need.

We know God loves us because we can see it in His actions. We see what He has done for us in the past and we read the stories of the examples of His saving His children. Verses 13 and 14 say, “Your name, Lord, endures forever, your renown, Lord, through all generations. For the Lord will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants.” He forgives us when we mess up and He vindicates us when we are wrongly persecuted.

We may not always see it or understand it but we can trust Him. This is why Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Investigational Resources: Look back on times where you were saved, pulled out of danger and or trouble. Can you see God working behind the scenes to make your rescue possible? Even if you can’t see it, you must trust and have faith that He was orchestrating everything.

Officer Safety Principle: Be the servant who praises God, like in verses 1 and 2. Don’t be like the person who puts other things ahead of God like in verses 15-18.

from Psalms Through the Eyes of a Cop, Volume 2
©by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
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