Deliver Me, O Lord – from Myself

Psalm 140
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men,
2who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually.
3They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s, and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah
4Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have planned to trip up my feet.
5The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net; beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah
6I say to the Lord, You are my God; give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!
7O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah
9As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
10Let burning coals fall upon them! Let them be cast into fire, into miry pits, no more to rise!
11Let not the slanderer be established in the land; let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!
12I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy.
13Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence.

This is another one of those psalms that feels difficult to grab onto and apply. As I was reading through it, for the third time, I was struck by the notion that perhaps I indeed need to pray this prayer but in the reverse. Instead of asking God to deliver me from evil people, I need to ask Him to deliver me from my own evil inclinations.

We live in incredibly acrimonious times. I confess to watching more and more Netflix because I just can’t stand the NEWS anymore. It’s all just too much hatred. The polarization of two sides has become the national pastime and we are the ping pong ball in the middle, being beaten by both sides. Bitterness on the national level cannot be far behind and in many cases is already here. That evil wants to live inside all of us as individuals.

So, instead of asking God to deliver from my enemies on the outside, I am asking Him today to deliver me from my own violent inclinations and warring thoughts. I am asking Him to deliver me from a sharp and poisonous tongue and the plans in my heart to trip others up and see harm done to them. I am asking Him to deliver me from the arrogance that lies in wait for my spirit.

The rewards of this work are great, and I confess to wanting them without apology. I am grateful to be able to say, “You are my God … the strength of my salvation … the righteous shall dwell in Your presence.” Those are the words I pray the Holy Spirit will ring through my heart and mind all day long.

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