Psalm 143
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness;
answer me in your righteousness.
2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant,
for no one living is righteous before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued me,
crushing my life to the ground,
making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.
5 I remember the days of old,
I think about all your deeds,
I meditate on the works of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me,
or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
8 Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Save me, O Lord, from my enemies;
I have fled to you for refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
on a level path.
11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life.
In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
12 In your steadfast love cut off my enemies,
and destroy all my adversaries,
for I am your servant.
Praying for God to destroy our enemies seems contrary to Jesus’ teachings to pray for one’s enemies. This is an honest prayer, and one full of raw emotion. This is a psalm of David and reflects times in his life when he was threatened. His hope was in the Lord and God’s ability to deliver him while defeating those who worked against him. His prayers were truthful, much like we have prayed during war time, fear, desperation. Save us and defeat the enemy! Mixed in with this psalm, along with the prayers for victory over his foes, David seeks God’s will and desires righteousness. Psalms such as this one remind us how messy life can be, that what we want may not always be what God wants. Our means may not always be God’s means of achieving an outcome. Yet, life is often about our struggles to understand and overcome as we seek to understand and serve God.
Prayer:
Holy God, you scatter the power of death and raise us together with Christ through his life, death, and resurrection. We thank you for the gift of this day and opportunities it holds for us.
Especially we thank you for
the community of faith in our church…
those with whom we work or share common concerns…
the diversity of your children…
indications of your love at work in the world…
those who work for reconciliation…
(Other prayers of thanksgiving)…
Mighty God, with the dawn of your love you reveal your victory over all that would destroy or harm and you brighten the lives of all who need you.
Especially we pray for
families suffering separation…
people different from ourselves…
those isolated by sickness or sorrow…
the victims of violence or warfare…
the church of the Pacific region…
(Other prayers of intercession)…
Amen
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