Day 85: Psalms 35:1-6
Psalm 35:1 A Psalm of David. Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me. 2Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help. 3Also draw out the spear, And stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
O God, just as Your Son would cry out to You in the Garden of Gethsemane for aid, so we who are so weak cry to You for grace and help in our time of need. Hear our cry when we call to You in times of fear and attack of our enemies. Lord, they are too strong for us to defeat on our own (II Samuel 22:18), but nothing is too hard for You, my King and my God (Jeremiah 32:17).
Lord, I do ask that you teach me to fight back against my enemies (Psalm 18:34), but I know that ultimately, “The battle belongs to the Lord” (I Samuel 17:47). You, O Lord, must fight against those who fight against me. Do not let them prevail against me (Psalm 9:19).
O God, there are so many that strive against me. There are false accusers who make up lies, even as they lied about Your Son, my Savior. But there are also servants of the devil, that accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). Sometimes even our own brothers and sisters betray us. Our only and greatest hope lies in Christ against the evil one. In Christ our sins are forgiven. Who shall bring a charge against us? It is Christ who died and rose again who defends us (Romans 8:33-39).
Lord, I do not have the wisdom, the strength, or the strategies to fight against my enemies, but You do. Fight for us. Let us take on the armor of God and after having done everything to stand in the power of the Lord and the strength of His might (Ephesians 6). Lord, though I must take hold of the shield and buckler, You must take hold of these devices for me.
In Revelation 19, Christ is on His white horse, leading the troops. Christ has fought for me, for us, for all Your people. Stand for us now and help us to trust You and fight the spiritual battles in accord with Your word. Use the spear and the sword and stand against our enemies. Strengthen our souls by speaking to our hearts. Remind us that You are our Savior. You are our salvation.
Do not let us be overcome by fear of our enemies, but when trouble comes, let us put our trust in You. You are our God. Again and again, You have delivered us. You have proven to us that You are worthy of our trust. You alone can be trusted with our souls.
Psalm 35:4 Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor Who seek after my life; Let those be turned back and brought to confusion Who plot my hurt. 5Let them be like chaff before the wind, And let the angel of the LORD chase them. 6Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the LORD pursue them.
Father, in Your Son, You have shown us that even with all the raging of the evil one and His forces, You can and do prevail. All those who mocked Christ on the cross and sought to destroy Him found that even their plotting, power, and even death itself could not prevail. In Your victory through Jesus is our victory. We trust in Him because of what He has done for us and what He works in us.
Lord, You must deal with my enemies. You have told me to love my enemies, bless them and curse not, to pray for them (Matthew 5:44). You have called me to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39). But Lord, You have also taught me to pray for deliverance from evil, the evil one and all His many compatriots (Matthew 6:13). The apostle Paul was confident that the Lord would deliver him from every evil work (II Timothy 4:18). Romans 12:19 reminds us that vengeance belongs to the Lord and that He will repay it in His time and in His way. Acts 9:13 reminds us that at one point Paul was persecuting the church before He came to Christ. But even Paul notes the harm that people have done to the Lord’s work, and he delivers them to the Lord in prayer for the Lord to handle them. For instance, Paul prays in II Timothy 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works.
So we pray, Almighty God, that You would deal with our enemies. We pray for their conversion to You, like the apostle Paul was converted from his antagonism and hate to become a friend of the faith. But if they will not come, do not let them hinder the cause of Christ or attack Your people.
Growing in Prayer 