Psalm 109:16-26
(Use the link below to read the verses.)
For
thirty years, Johnny Carson entertained Americans on The Tonight Show. One of
his most memorable characters was Carnac the Magnificent. If the audience
reacted poorly to one of his jokes, Carnac would cast
a comedic curse upon them such as, "May a bloated yak change the
temperature of your Jacuzzi".
In the first few verses from today’s passage, David is crying
out to God to cast a serious curse upon those who were falsely accusing him. Here
is what he prayed:
Send the Evil One to
accuse my accusing judge; dispatch Satan to prosecute him. When he’s judged,
let the verdict be “Guilty,” and when he prays, let his prayer turn to sin.
Give him a short
life, and give his job to somebody else. Make orphans of his children,
dress his wife in widow’s weeds; Turn his children into begging street urchins,
evicted from their homes—homeless.
May the bank foreclose and wipe him out, and strangers, like vultures, pick him clean. May there be no one around to help him out, no one willing to give his orphans a break. MSG
This
sounds more like David is raging in anger than praying to God. Ultimately
though, David does ask God for deliverance from those
who wished him harm. He did so, not based on retaliation or vindictiveness, but
based on who God is; based on the character of God.
21 But deal well with me, O Sovereign Lord, for the sake of your
own reputation! Rescue me because you are so faithful and good. 26 Help me, O Lord my God! Save me because of your unfailing
love. NLT
God
is faithful and good. His love is unfailing. He is always at work in our life.
He is always drawing us closer to Him. Because of who He is, He delivers us.
All we have to do is ask and believe. Sometimes we need to be delivered from
our enemies; but other times we need to be delivered from our own sinful
nature.
Jesus
taught us how to pray about our enemies and our sinful nature:
And forgive us our debts, as
we also have forgiven our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil. Matthew 6:12-13 RSV
(If
God has spoken to you through this devotional, please feel free to share it
with others.)
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