Politically Incorrect

Psalm 71:1-8

1O LORD, you are my refuge;

never let me be disgraced.

2Rescue me! Save me from my enemies, for you are just.

Turn your ear to listen and set me free.

3Be to me a protecting rock of safety,

where I am always welcome.

Give the order to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

4My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked,

from the clutches of cruel oppressors.

5O Lord, you alone are my hope.

I’ve trusted you, O LORD, from childhood.

6Yes, you have been with me from birth;

from my mother’s womb you have cared for me.

No wonder I am always praising you!

7My life is an example to many,

because you have been my strength and protection.

8That is why I can never stop praising you;

I declare your glory all day long.

William Wilberforce decided to get serious about his faith at age twenty-five. He had just been elected to the British Parliament, so in the dog-eat-dog world of politics this was not necessarily a good career move.

Young Wilberforce sought advice from a well respected pastor named John Newton. Before Newton’s conversion, he had been involved in the slave trade. But now he was campaigning against slavery. Newton encouraged Wilberforce to stay in politics and fight for right. Wilberforce did just that, becoming the strongest voice of his generation against the slave trade.

The slave traders played politics well, making it difficult for Wilberforce to push his abolitionist platform. But Wilberforce pressed on, and in 1807 he succeeded in passing a bill that prohibited the buying and selling of slaves in Britain. Even then, he kept pressing for the total eradication of slavery.

Wilberforce hated making enemies, and he often turned to the Psalms for support. Once, after a particularly heated battle, he told his wife, “The Seventy-first Psalm, which I learned by heart lately, has been a real comfort to me.” Indeed, the Lord was a “protecting rock of safety” to Wilberforce, whose faithful government service turned out to be “an example to many.”

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

EDWARD MOTE

Fascinating Fact

This was the favorite psalm of Athanasius, the much-embattled fourth-century bishop who played a significant role in the establishment of the Nicene Creed.

Notable Quotable

“Our hope is not the glory of heaven, not joy, not rest from labor—nothing which God could create is what we hope for. What we hope for is our Redeeming God himself.”

E. B. PUSEY