July 14 Daily Devotional

See how your enemies are astir.... With cunning they conspire against your people. This is one of the fruits of God’s free and gracious covenant, in which he has promised to be an enemy to all our enemies,—a promise for which there is good cause, when it is considered that the welfare of his people, whom he has taken under his protection, cannot be assailed without an injury being, at the same time, done to his own majesty. Meanwhile, let us live at peace with all men, as much as in us lies, and let us endeavour to practise uprightness in our whole deportment, that we may be able confidently to appeal to God, that when we suffer at the hands of men, we suffer wrongfully. The pride and violent assaults of our enemies may be combined with craftiness. But when such is the case, it becomes us to yield to God the honour which belongs to him, by resting satisfied that he can succour us; for to break the proud who foam out their rage, and to take the crafty in their own craftiness, is work which he has been accustomed to perform in all ages. To keep us from thinking that we are abandoned to the snares and traps of our enemies, that prophet here seasonably sets before us a consideration calculated to administer the highest consolation and hope, when he calls us God’s people. We are hidden under the shadow of God’s wings; although to outward appearances we lie open, and are exposed to the will of the wicked and the proud, we are preserved by the hidden power of God. Accordingly it is said in another psalm (27:5), “For in the time of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle.” However, none are hid under the keeping and protection of God but those who, renouncing all dependence on their own strength, flee with fear and trembling to him. We will best consult our own safety by taking shelter under the shadow of the Almighty, and, conscious of our own weakness, committing our salvation to him, casting it, so to speak, into his bosom.

Welcome to a one-year devotional by John Calvin (1509-1564) on the Psalms. We are indebted to P & R Publishing for permission to use this copyrighted material from John Calvin: A Heart Aflame on the OPC Web site. In addition to viewing the daily devotional reading here, you may like to purchase a copy of the book A Heart Aflame from P & R Publishing or your local bookstore.

John Calvin, A Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms, is copyright © 1999 by P & R Publishing Company, all rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—except for brief quotations for the purpose of review or comment, without the prior permission of the publisher, P & R Publishing Company, P.O. Box 817, Phillipsburg, New Jersey 08865-0817.

Unless marked by an asterisk, italic Scripture excerpts preceding Calvin's exposition are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House, all rights reserved. Phrases of Scripture within Calvin's exposition are based on an unidentified older translation, or in rare instances modified to conform to the NIV excerpts preceding Calvin's exposition.

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