(Psalm 64:1-6) Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy.  Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the plot of the evildoers.  They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.  They shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear.  They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, “who will see us?”  They plot injustice and say, “We have devised a perfect plan!”  Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

In these first six verses of Psalm 64, King David is before God asking for protection from the evil that constantly threatens him.  King David lived some three thousand years ago, and today we still face the same evil.  As an example, we know that hackers and scammers continually lurk around us.  They use our electronic devices to lore us into their schemes.  They plot how to steal from us with little care for the damage they do.  Yes, we can agree with King David that the human mind and heart are cunning.

Can we stop this evil? Well, since it has gone on for thousands of years, I think not.  Only God can finally put an end to it.  King David trusted that he could turn to God when evil threatens. He continued his Psalm with these words.

(Psalm 64:7-10) But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down.  He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.  All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done.  The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; all the upright in heart will glory in him!

When evil threatens, remember, we can take refuge in the Lord.