13Make them like tumbleweed, my God, like chaff before the wind.
14As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm.
16Cover their faces with shame, Lord, so that they will seek your name.
17May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace.
18Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord— that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
- P147
The psalmist pleads with God to act against Israel‘s enemies, who conspire todestroy them. The psalmist recalls past victories and asks God to defeat Hispeople‘s enemies again. - P147
He prays that their enemies‘ faces be covered withshame, so that they will seek God‘s name and recognize He is the Most Highover all the earth. - P147
The raw emotions of the Psalms can make us uncomfortable, especially inpassages that sound confrontational. Like life, the Psalms are full of complex emotions and they provide us with the language to cry out to God ina deeply honest way. - P148
The book of Psalms shows us that we can call out toGod even in His moments of silence, trusting that He will be faithful as Hehas been in the past. - P148
Amid his outcry, the psalmist‘s ultimate goal is not thedestruction of his enemies; he concludes his prayer with the request thatGod‘s name be sought by those very enemies. - P148
Even when we bring painfulemotions to God, prayer is not about convincing Him to carry out ourdesires. - P148
Prayer is our way of pouring out our heart to God while allowingHis glory to take center stage. - P148
Dear Jesus, You won the victory. We ask that the Father‘s will be done andthat the plans of those who oppose You will fail. Make Your name knownthrough us who belong to You. In Your name, amen.
140 - P149
Matthew 5:25 NLT
[25] "When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. - P208
|