God to the Rescue
Who doesn't love a story with a fairy-tale plot in which the maiden in distress is rescued by the strong, indomitable, larger-than-life hero? What if, for you, the narrative is that you are in a very real, very dark, overwhelming, hopeless place being oppressed by something evil, vengeful, oppressive, wicked, and full of lies? You need a rescuer, don't you?
Let's listen in on the prayer of someone just like you and me:
Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
preserve me from violent men,
who plan evil things in their heart
and stir up wars continually.
They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's,
and under their lips is the venom of asps.
Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from violent men,
who have planned to trip up my feet.
The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread a net;
beside the way they have set snares for me.
(Psalm 140:1-5)
Well, that sounds like a place I've been (and got the T-shirt to prove it). It's a bad place to visit, and even worse to live there!
This is one of many "imprecatory" psalms found in the collection, and I'd like to point out a few things it teaches:
1. It's totally ok to pray against wicked people. Your true enemies are God's enemies, too, and because God is a God of justice, He punishes evil. (See verses 9-11 of this psalm.)
2. The psalms give us words to pray. In the case of this psalm, we are given labels for wickedness. Like Fred Rogers said, anything that can be named is manageable. Here, management means appealing to a higher authority, calling evil what it is.
3. God cares for and rescues oppressed people as a result of their prayers (see verses 6,7,12,13.) One of the most demonstrative examples is shown in Psalm 18, where in the space of six verses (16-21), terms such as rescue, restore, and support are used no fewer than 7 times in reference to God swooping in to help!
4. God's Word applies to any situation (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Enemies can exist everywhere and anywhere (including the context of marriage). [Let me pause here and say that if a marriage is toxic, it is not "Christian". If your enemy, such as one described in Psalm 140 is your spouse, "Christianity" has left the building. This is not to say God cannot reconcile the marriage through His grace and your spouse's repentance, but this situation needs to be recognized for what it is so that sin issues may be properly dealt with.] In addition to praying, it's ok to utilize the resources God has placed in your path when fending off your enemies: a trusted pastor, counselor, or friend; legal aid; a safety plan.
5. God is one who can and should be praised in the midst of adverse circumstances (verse 7 because He transcends our situation. His is a much larger narrative than the problems we currently face. Psalm 118 is a great example of how the writer praises God before and after he sandwiches in his helplessness and depressing thoughts.
It doesn't take a deep study of the Psalms to see that Christian normalcy includes telling God everything about how we think, what we feel, where we are in our life circumstances, and what we desire to see Him do. He cares for us! He has already rescued us spiritually for eternity, and He is ready to rescue us from evil in the present. Just ask!
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©2020 Julianne Knapp. First published 8.30.20
Let's listen in on the prayer of someone just like you and me:
Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
preserve me from violent men,
who plan evil things in their heart
and stir up wars continually.
They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's,
and under their lips is the venom of asps.
Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from violent men,
who have planned to trip up my feet.
The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread a net;
beside the way they have set snares for me.
(Psalm 140:1-5)
Well, that sounds like a place I've been (and got the T-shirt to prove it). It's a bad place to visit, and even worse to live there!
This is one of many "imprecatory" psalms found in the collection, and I'd like to point out a few things it teaches:
1. It's totally ok to pray against wicked people. Your true enemies are God's enemies, too, and because God is a God of justice, He punishes evil. (See verses 9-11 of this psalm.)
2. The psalms give us words to pray. In the case of this psalm, we are given labels for wickedness. Like Fred Rogers said, anything that can be named is manageable. Here, management means appealing to a higher authority, calling evil what it is.
3. God cares for and rescues oppressed people as a result of their prayers (see verses 6,7,12,13.) One of the most demonstrative examples is shown in Psalm 18, where in the space of six verses (16-21), terms such as rescue, restore, and support are used no fewer than 7 times in reference to God swooping in to help!
4. God's Word applies to any situation (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Enemies can exist everywhere and anywhere (including the context of marriage). [Let me pause here and say that if a marriage is toxic, it is not "Christian". If your enemy, such as one described in Psalm 140 is your spouse, "Christianity" has left the building. This is not to say God cannot reconcile the marriage through His grace and your spouse's repentance, but this situation needs to be recognized for what it is so that sin issues may be properly dealt with.] In addition to praying, it's ok to utilize the resources God has placed in your path when fending off your enemies: a trusted pastor, counselor, or friend; legal aid; a safety plan.
5. God is one who can and should be praised in the midst of adverse circumstances (verse 7 because He transcends our situation. His is a much larger narrative than the problems we currently face. Psalm 118 is a great example of how the writer praises God before and after he sandwiches in his helplessness and depressing thoughts.
It doesn't take a deep study of the Psalms to see that Christian normalcy includes telling God everything about how we think, what we feel, where we are in our life circumstances, and what we desire to see Him do. He cares for us! He has already rescued us spiritually for eternity, and He is ready to rescue us from evil in the present. Just ask!
Subscribe to free weekly articles in your inbox HERE; your information will never be shared. :-)
©2020 Julianne Knapp. First published 8.30.20
You need a smile today! You need God's truth reinforced in your life, and this is just the song for you! |
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