Give Us Strength To Stand Against Evil

Day 60:  Psalms 28:1-3

            Psalm 28:1 A Psalm of David. To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.

            Wondrous and amazing Savior, you came to earth and understand our struggles in this fallen world. Hebrews 5: 7 says, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” As we saw in Psalm 22 You faced all the stresses that come from the world, the sinful flesh of sinners against you, as well as the animosity of Satan. You took the worst that this fallen world and its evil forces could conceive, yet you passed the test. You felt the pain and the suffering and all that is dark, yet even through the tears, suffering, and pain, You overcame it all. Because of what You endured, we know that You understand our suffering, stresses, and pain.

Lord, You are my solid rock, my certain hope and refuge against trouble. You alone are my ultimate hope and strength. I come to You and ask Your help because You were a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). Please do not delay. Please do not refuse to answer me. Lord, though I know You always hear and answer prayer, yet at times it does not feel like You hear me. It does not seem that You answer my prayers. There are times when I cry to see and I see no effect.

            Lord, I need to know that You are with me. If You do not go with me, I cannot go one step more. If You are not with me, then I am undone, destroyed, broken, and finished.

            Psalm 28:2 Hear the voice of my supplications When I cry to You, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

            The Lord Jesus said, as He stood before Lazarus’ grave, “I know that You always hear me.” Lord, You always hear our prayers, but there are times when You say, “No!” There are times when You will not answer in a way that I wish. There is an element in prayer that must wait on You. We do not own You. Though we may wrestle in prayer and claim Your promises with great confidence and boldness, yet we also come humbly, recognizing that You are the sovereign God who alone knows what is best for us.

            Sometimes a trial, a sickness, or even a death may be in Your perfect and Sovereign plan for Your glory and for the good of Your people.

            Still Lord, we are just men. We are weak and frail, flesh, and blood. If you do not help us, we cannot stand. Please hear our prayer and answer us quickly in Your favor and according to Your grace.

            Psalm 28:3 Do not take me away with the wicked And with the workers of iniquity, Who speak peace to their neighbors, But evil is in their hearts.

            Our Lord and Savior was put to death with criminals on either side! They falsely called Jesus a deceiver and a blasphemer. Down through history Your people have been maligned, falsely accused, and counted with criminals before men, but not before You, O God.

Lord do not include me in the numbers of those who do not trust You and do not seek You. You have put it into my heart to seek You and to find You. You have opened Your heart and Your love to me and taught me to love. Though my strength and faith are small, still they are still God-given blessings. Help me not be like those who do not believe.

            Father, so many have refused to humble themselves before You. They are bold in their sin. They pretend to love, but truly they are plotting behind the scenes. You know their wickedness. You see their evil. They must give an account to You.

            Lord, You see all men’s heart. Lord, if they will not change, if they refuse to repent of their sin, please remove them and their evil from us. Lord, You have commanded us to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us and pray for those who despitefully use us. So we pray for our enemies that they might be converted and be won to You. We pray that we would not be overcome by their evil, but that we would overcome with Christ’s good.

            Still, O Lord, we must pray that you restrain their evil, that You keep them from harming Your people. We pray that You would deal with Your enemies and our enemies. If they continue in their sin and refuse to turn, make their plots and scheming ineffective. Trip them up with the traps they use to capture, trip and cause others grief. Even the apostle Paul left his opponents in Your hands. II Timothy 4:14-15 shows us Paul’s attitude towards enemies of the good news about Jesus. “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. 15You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words”.

            Lord, let the love and the truth of Your Son and our Savior stand. Teach us how to pray for our enemies and for all men.