Psalm 35
June 22, 2025
Heavenly Father,
We praise you that we are not alone as we encounter enemies in this world.
We praise you that you are a God we can come to and say “Contend those who contend against me. Fight against those who fight against us.”
For you tell us, LORD, “Never avenge yourselves, vengeance belongs to the LORD, it is MINE says the LORD.”
And you can do vengeance far better than we can.
More than that, LORD, you do justice far better than we can.
For how often do we have the words “fight against those who fight against me” on our lips when the person we’re talking about isn’t even an enemy!
Faithful, you say for example, are the WOUNDS of a friend. 5 Let a righteous man strike me — it is a kindness; let him rebuke me — it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it.
So, LORD teach us how to rightly assess who is for us and who is against us in this world … and we say with Psalm 35 fight against those who are truly against us and against your purposes in the world.
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away!
And LORD, if we watch as our enemies fall, we pray you’d give us the grace to praise you for it.
Let us sing and cry out: The LORD WAS and IS my salvation.
And LORD, if you do not deliver us from our earthly enemies, we pray you’d help us to remember our escape from our spiritual enemies.
For sin and death and Satan overwhelmed us. We followed his decrees and demands. And we, like King David’s enemies, repaid your good with our evil.
In our suffering and distress, you interceded for us.
You were bowed down for us and made your enemies your friends and brothers, reconciling us in the cross.
Though we cried out “crucify him” and rejoiced in your murder… you were loving us and defeating our most vicious enemies.
Father as we think about the strife and conflict in our world, including the bombing carried out last night.
We pray for peace. We pray for supernatural grace and wisdom for the world leaders.
But more than that LORD, we pray for your church in war torn areas. We pray for those spreading the name of Christ in Israel and Iran and for your church in Ukraine and Russia and Taiwan and China and wherever strife and war is found.
Protect LORD your church, grow your church Lord in this turbulent time, and hasten the day where Christ will return and we will beat our swords and these weapons of ours into gardening equipment.
We ask these things in the name of Jesus.
Amen.