Psalm 140:1-2, 4, 7, 12-13 (NIV)
Rescue me, Lord, from evildoers; protect me from the violent, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day. Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet. Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle. I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. Surely the righteous will praise your name, and the upright will live in your presence.
These days it seems that evil and enemies are all around us. Social Media is overflowing with stories that highlight this fact as well as opinions that far too often add fuel to the fire. Whether it’s the continuing cultural slide into immorality and redefinition…the deepening political divide…violence in the streets and even some classrooms…or the on-going battle with violent and oppressive extremist ideologies around the world…our days can easily be overshadowed by the ebbs and flows of a world that is center stage in the battle between Good and Evil. Darkness and Light. Truth and Lies.
Psalm 140 marks a return to a familiar theme in David’s writing as he calls out to God for intervention, protection, and victory. We are certainly right to pray for protection (v.1-5). Far too often we take the battle on in our own strength, shooting first, as it were, in our own power and then asking for God’s help later. We are certainly right to call on God to fulfill His promises and maintain His character (v. 6-8). If you can’t back-up your prayer requests with biblical reasoning, you should not be uttering them at all. But, should we be calling down God’s vengeance on our enemies? Should we join David in his requests for “burning coals” and “miry pits” and “disaster” to befall those who are out to get him?
It is certainly right and biblical to long for justice, but it also right and biblical to long for the repentance and salvation of those who practice evil and injustice. We should pray for God’s divine protection against our enemies, but we should also pray for His divine intervention in their lives to bring them “to their senses” so that they might be saved (Dan. 4:34). It is certainly easier to be disgusted by those who seek to re-define God’s definitions of sexuality, gender, and marriage than to be broken-hearted by their remarkable confusuion and rebellion…but Christ did not say, “Father, smite them, for they know exactly what they are doing!” No, Jesus sought God’s mercy and forgiveness on his enemies’ behalf. Do we have that kind of heart? Do we have that kind of concern? Do we have that kind of love? On far too many occasions, I know I do not.
In the final analysis, like David, we must cling to the bigger narrative:
“I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. Surely the righteous will praise your name, and the upright will live in your presence” (v. 12-13).
The Sovereign God of the Universe is not operating on our time schedule. He is not going to be pressured into moving before the very moment when His activities will achieve maximum Kingdom impact and bring Him maximum glory. When you are on a long trip and a trusted spouse or friend is driving, you can rest easily enough and even sleep deeply while your immediate circumstances are totally out of your control. Why is that? Do you suddenly become unaware of the fact that while hurtling down the road at 70+ miles per hour you can encounter death in the blink of an eye? Of course not. You can rest because you have years and years of surviving such circumstances—and arriving at your desired destinations—under the watchful eyes and abilities of a driver who loves you and is able to deliver you. How much more so with a “driver” that holds all circumstances and destinations and outcomes in his all-powerful and loving hands?
