Praying for your enemies

 Psalm 83:1–18 (ESV):  

1  O God, do not keep silence; 

do not hold your peace or be still, O God! 

 2  For behold, your enemies make an uproar; 

those who hate you have raised their heads. 

 3  They lay crafty plans against your people; 

they consult together against your treasured ones. 

 4  They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; 

let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” 

 5  For they conspire with one accord; 

against you they make a covenant— 

 6  the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, 

Moab and the Hagrites, 

 7  Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, 

Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; 

 8  Asshur also has joined them; 

they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah 

 9  Do to them as you did to Midian, 

as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, 

 10  who were destroyed at En-dor, 

who became dung for the ground. 

 11  Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, 

all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, 

 12  who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves 

of the pastures of God.” 

 13  O my God, make them like whirling dust, 

like chaff before the wind. 

 14  As fire consumes the forest, 

as the flame sets the mountains ablaze, 

 15  so may you pursue them with your tempest 

and terrify them with your hurricane! 

 16  Fill their faces with shame, 

that they may seek your name, O Lord. 

 17  Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; 

let them perish in disgrace, 

 18  that they may know that you alone, 

whose name is the Lord, 

are the Most High over all the earth. 

This is certainly a prayer of frustration, Asaph has had enough of the irritating behaviour of the enemies of Israel. He knows who they are, he names them and asks for God to wipe them out. He is fed up of his nation being threatened and harassed by so many others, so he asks God to radically deal with these enemies. The people of God have a lot of enemies and they will always have someone out to get them. The enemy will cause defeat and disasters and entice people to act on his behalf, so those that belong to God are going to have a hard time. Life can feel like a battle, but i heard someone say the other day - suffering happens just because you are human, so would you rather go though these struggles with or without God?! It is a great question to ponder. Some people allow the frustrations, problems and battles to destroy their faith, instead of allowing their faith to destroy their enemies. 

Asaph feels like not just that his life is problematic, but that the whole of the nation is in trouble. Yet he does not allow the trouble to define his faith, but he allows his faith and knowledge of God reframe the problem. Asaph not only recounts the numerous enemies, and the vastness of the situation, but also remembers the bigness of God, and numerous times God has brought salvation for Israel. Asaph knows that the greatest way to fight and reduce the enemies power is to pray. So he prays that these enemies will become as ‘whirling dust' and that they would be so humbled and depleted that those left will be ashamed of their behaviour. He has read and heard about the previous times that God has saved Israel, so he has faith in the power and authority of God to do it again. He is certain that when God turns His face towards Israel, they will be restored and the enemies devastated. 

What is your response when you feel got at, disappointed, angered and like you have a battle to face? Do you approach God to tell Him what is going on and trust Him to act in such a way that brings relief and rescue, and will even cause the enemies to recognise the mightiness of God? 

Asaph seems to change his mind through the psalm as to what he wants to happen to these foes. At first he speaks of the enemies being ‘destroyed’, and ‘dung for the ground’. However, verses 15-18 show that Asaph has a different outcome that he desires. For he asks that these enemies will be terrified and shamed by God. So that, ‘they may seek your name, O Lord’. Maybe this was influenced by the Holy Spirit as Asaph became more passionate in prayer and the Holy Spirit guided him in his words, so that he could see a greater outcome than complete annihilation. For which would be better; That the enemies not only bow their knees and heads to Israel, but to ‘the Most High over all the earth’ or that they were simply destroyed? 

The desire through any trouble, difficult circumstance or battle should be that God will be seen and known. That He is seen to protect and fight for those who love and obey Him, and that He can and will forgive and save the enemies of His people if they humble themselves and repent. No person is too great an enemy of God or his people that they cannot come to know the love and power of Almighty God. I mean, consider Saul becoming Paul - what a miraculous salvation occurred in his life! (Acts 9) When you see people persecuting those loved by God, why not pray like Asaph does, that their power will be destroyed, and that they will recognise the glory, majesty and terrifying power of the Lord God? Imagine the impact of a few modern day Paul stories - how would that change your life, your town, your nation or even the world?! 

So, why not pray like Asaph did? Ask God to pursue those enemies, to terrify them so that they seek the name of God. Then they will humble themselves in shame and repentence and glorify the Most High over all the earth. Surely, better than the demise and destruction of any enemy, it is better to see them acknowledging their sin and turning in shame to God. Living the rest of their lives in the humble realisation that God is Most High. If Saul hadn’t of had that encounter and become Paul can you imagine what would not have happened? For a start, almost half the books in the New Testament would not exist! We are grateful for and marvel at Saul’s conversion, but that happened after years of him tormenting and persecuting God’s own. People would have been praying for his reputation and power to end, and it did, just not in the way most people expected. This event and encounter in one man’s life led to the gospel spreading, churches built, the gentiles receiving salvation and other leaders invested in and grown. All because an enemy of God was terrified, humbled and ashamed, and was able to receive the forgiveness and salvation that God invites everyone to enjoy. Who do you need to pray for today so that God’s name can be glorified and His goodness spread throughout the Earth once again?

I will guard my mouth with a muzzle

 

Psalm 39:1–13 (ESV):  

1  I said, “I will guard my ways, 

that I may not sin with my tongue; 

I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, 

so long as the wicked are in my presence.” 

2  I was mute and silent; 

I held my peace to no avail, 

and my distress grew worse. 

3  My heart became hot within me. 

As I mused, the fire burned; 

then I spoke with my tongue: 

4  “O Lord, make me know my end 

and what is the measure of my days; 

let me know how fleeting I am! 

5  Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, 

and my lifetime is as nothing before you. 

Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah 

6  Surely a man goes about as a shadow! 

Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; 

man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! 

7  “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? 

My hope is in you. 

8  Deliver me from all my transgressions. 

Do not make me the scorn of the fool! 

9  I am mute; I do not open my mouth, 

for it is you who have done it. 

10  Remove your stroke from me; 

I am spent by the hostility of your hand. 

11  When you discipline a man 

with rebukes for sin, 

you consume like a moth what is dear to him; 

surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah 

12  “Hear my prayer, O Lord, 

and give ear to my cry; 

hold not your peace at my tears! 

For I am a sojourner with you, 

a guest, like all my fathers. 

13  Look away from me, that I may smile again, 

before I depart and am no more!” 

Clearly, David is experiencing another time of distress, and it is a time when he is adamant not to discuss his frustration with other people. So he is enforcing himself to be, 'mute and silent’. This is a powerful and tremendously difficult thing to do. The natural, and most common thing for people to do when they are unhappy and annoyed is to share their situation; moan, whinge, rant or cry. So David does something very unusual by vowing to be silent whilst the 'wicked' were within earshot. David was suffering as he was pondering life. He seems to have sinned as he speaks about God's rebukes and discipline, and this has got him considering the brevity of life. He does not want his words and concerns to be misconstrued by others and so he resolves to be quiet about the internal disturbance he is dealing with. He decides to, ‘guard my ways’, ‘not sin with my tongue’ and ‘guard my mouth with a muzzle’. David really restricted himself didn't he?! These phrases sound harsh and painful! You can sense the frustration David feels and also the level of internal discomfort he is feeling. David disciplined himself and was strict with himself with what he said and to whom he said it. This is a sign of wisdom. 

Being able to discern how, when, if and with whom a matter needs to be discussed takes a lot of consideration. David recognised that his words could cause a negative impact if he used them wrongly, and as he was feeling confused and frustrated with life, he knew expressing that to other people would effect the faith they had in God. So, David forced his mouth shut. He knew the power of his words. He saw that speaking without consideration and talking to the wrong audience can cause sin and damage. As a man of God and as a king, he wisely considered how to manage his thoughts, fears and feelings as expressing these to the wrong kind of people could cause untold damage to the kingdom of Israel as well as the kingdom of God. The same is true of you. Your words, or lack of them can impact the community you are apart of and the kingdom you represent. What does the way you deal with disappointment, discipline or frustration communicate about you and the God you believe in?

David fought to be electively silent. 

He found this incredibly difficult and frustrating. Do you also know the strain and pain of restraint? David muzzled himself because he was more concerned about being innocent before the ‘wicked’ and not dishonouring God than relieving his mind and emotions. So he patiently waited for the appropriate place,  time and audience. David waited until he could pour out all his thoughts, fears, emotions and pain before God. He knew the only one that could help, that could comfort, that could bring reassurance and relief was God, and so he waited until he could safely and honestly share his suffering with Him. David held this uncomfortable and painful silence so that he did not dishonour himself or God. He was aware that there were people around him, watching and listening that were ‘wicked’ and he did not want to share his anger or suffering in front of them or for them to overhear his musings and agitations. They could misuse the information to defame David or God and so David 'burned' as he guarded his mouth. His ‘distress grew worse' yet he remained adamant in his vow of silence over the matters of his mind. He was unable to explain or alleviate his mind until he had a chance to speak with God. Is this what you do when you have a burdening heart and a distressed mind? Are you able to be, 'mute and silent' awaiting for a chance to speak to God even when anger and confusion seem to burn inside of you? It takes a great deal of self-discipline to do so. It is hard, and it is painful, yet it can be to your ultimate benefit and to the benefit of God's kingdom.

We can learn from this psalm several things:

• You can sin with your words. So learning to guard your mouth as David did is essential for your righteousness. It is important that you consider your words and not just speak on a whim or out of anger. At times it is better to ‘burn’ inside with anger and frustration than speak out and cause damage to; others, yourself and to offend God. 
• Sharing your emotions is important, but it needs to be done in the right manner and with the right audience. God can hear and bear all of your fear, frustrations, joy, happiness and anger. He is the One who can come and comfort and can change circumstances and ease your mind. Therefore you need to consider who you share your burdens with. 
• Keeping your deepest thoughts and feelings between you and God is ok. In fact it is the best idea!  He will always take time to listen and he understands your heart. Therefore you can share your internal turbulence with Him no matter what it is. If you share your concerns and frustrations with others, some will use what you say to think badly of God and your faith. Some will give you terrible advice and some will not understand but may gossip about your turmoil rather than assisting you in it. Therefore when you are in turmoil consider if you too should take a vow of silence on the matter as David did. Before speaking to others, talk to God and ask Him if there are people of faith that you can trust and share your concerns with.
• Silence can be more powerful than words. It takes a lot of discipline and self-control to not talk of your worries and frustrations. David's silence must have been noted especially as he was in a state of distress, but he knew it was the right course of action for the situation he was in. He knew others could misconstrue his words or dishonour God if he talked to them, so he kept a powerful, God-honouring silence. He did not defend himself or God, but struggled on. When people go through trying seasons without grumbling, it demonstrates an incredible strength.

David knew no-one could assist him with some of his internal struggles, only God. The same is true for you. As, who else holds the answers to life? Who else can explain the purpose of our own lives?