Psalm 17

Guard me as the apple of the eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
from the wicked who despoil me,
my deadly enemies who surround me.
They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
They track me down; now they surround me;
they set their eyes to cast me to the ground.
They are like a lion eager to tear,
like a young lion lurking in ambush.

They - these enemies - are my own contradictions.

They are my own divisions, distractions, and self-destructive tendencies.

From the sixteenth psalm, also assigned for today:

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.
For you do not give me up to Sheol,
or let your faithful one see the Pit.
You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

When they cast me down and set upon me, I am restored by That Which Exists.

By the morning stars, by the breeze, by music, by friendship, by scripture, by poetry, by kindness, by good food, and by meaningful work I am healed and brought nearer to wholeness.

God sustains my progress on the the path of life.

Psalm 17