…those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.
They will go down into the depths of the earth.
They will die by the sword
and become the food of jackals.
But the king will rejoice in God.
All who swear to tell the truth will praise him,
while liars will be silenced.
Psalm 63: 9-11 (NLT)
Comment
GULP!
Have you ever used feisty words like in this psalm when talking to your husband or wife about a serious situation?
‘That new chap at work has it in for me! He’s undermining me, plotting to ruin me. But I’m not worried. God will ruin him…he’ll become mincemeat!’
‘That woman tell lies about me to everyone, including all my friends at church! And what makes it worse is that people listen to her! But I’m not worried. God will silence her, I’m sure of that!’
The end of this psalm makes me uncomfortable. What I do admire is that King David doesn’t hold back with his words before God. He tells God exactly what’s on his heart and its unashamed fighting talk. Secondly King David trusts God completely. He knows God is just and will not be mocked. He can leave everything with God and trusts that God will sort it.
I think we can learn from this as we pray together, not that I’m suggesting we pray for people to be turned into mincemeat – that’s inappropriate! But we can be totally transparent before God, trusting him. Besides, he knows what we are thinking and feeling anyway.
This week we come to the end of our prayerful exploration of psalm 63. Talk with your spouse. How easy or difficult do you find it to be transparent before God? How much do you trust God to be in control?
Prayer (as a couple)
Heavenly Father, thank you that you are an amazing God who understands us better than we do ourselves as you see all our circumstances and our hearts. Thank you that you are a God of justice and that we can completely trust you, whatever we face. Help us to be transparent before you as we pray. Help us to trust you more and more each day. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Prayer (for others)
Heavenly Father, we pray for… and …. We pray that they would know you as a God of truth and justice but also as their loving Heavenly Father that they can be open with and trust in all circumstances. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Final Quote
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. Galatians 6:7,8
