When we proclaim who God was, is, and always will be; we solidify our stand with God.  There is no one like our God. Period.  To those who truly believe all that God says to be really real are comforted and challenged by God being God.  Believers with willing, surrendered hearts seek Him for wisdom and direction then trust and obey knowing His response is love, mercy, and grace.  God wants the absolute best for us; that’s why He sent His One and Only Son to save us!  His Plan, Purposes, and Promises are true and never fails for God does not lie and cannot fail. Why trust anyone else but God?  I do not know.

The psalm songs of Asaph celebrate God’s strength, grace, and glory especially during his lament to God about all the evil going on around him in his real time.  Asaph knows God enough to be aware of the blessings of God that will surely come to those who serve and trust in him while waiting for God to act on behalf of His people.  In the wait our trust is given an opportunity to shine to the rest of the world who does not yet know God.  Our words and actions in waiting on God is a witness to the people around us, watching to see what we will do when hard pressed, perplexed, and hurting.  Asaph has chosen to cry out to God, knowing God will act on behalf of His people. Asaph also prays for his enemies to know God.  Wait, what?!

Psalm 83, The Message

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

^1-5 God, don’t shut me out;
    don’t give me the silent treatment, O God.
Your enemies are out there whooping it up,
    the God-haters are living it up;
They’re plotting to do your people in,
    conspiring to rob you of your precious ones.
“Let’s wipe this nation from the face of the earth,”
    they say; “scratch Israel’s name off the books.”
And now they’re putting their heads together,
    making plans to get rid of you.

^6-8     Edom and the Ishmaelites,
    Moab and the Hagrites,
    Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
    Philistia and the Tyrians,
    And now Assyria has joined up,
    Giving muscle to the gang of Lot.

^9-12 Do to them what you did to Midian,
    to Sisera and Jabin at Kishon Brook;
They came to a bad end at Endor,
    nothing but dung for the garden.
Cut down their leaders as you did Oreb and Zeeb,
    their princes to nothings like Zebah and Zalmunna,
With their empty brags, “We’re grabbing it all,
    grabbing God’s gardens for ourselves.”

^13-18 My God! I’ve had it with them!
    Blow them away!
Tumbleweeds in the desert waste,
    charred sticks in the burned-over ground.
Knock the breath right out of them, so they’re gasping
    for breath, gasping, “God.”
Bring them to the end of their rope,
    and leave them there dangling, helpless.
Then they’ll learn your name: “God,”
    the one and only High God on earth.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Surrendered pleading.

Asaph was living in a time of attack of barbaric, cruel nations gathering to destroy God’s people.  These nations were God’s enemies, attacking God’s people, and threatening God’s protected ones. From Asaph’s human perspective, it was time for God to take notice and act!  Surrendered pleading is now the posture Asaph takes. 

Respond with honesty and willingness to learn.

Haven’t we all been there done that?  We come the end of our resources, creative problem solving, and quick fixes to discover the battles with current circumstances are too overwhelming for us to continue fighting it.  It is then that our prayers become less flowery and churchy and become extremely gut wrenchingly honest. It is then, in our surrender, that God has us where He wants us—in a posture of humbled surrender to His will and plan that will always be the best for us.  Why does it take us so long to come to this conclusion?  I don’t know, quite frankly.  But I do know that the more I grow and mature from previous trials and sufferings, the quicker I come to God when more troubles are on the horizon.  I know more readily that God knows and go to Him first.

Pray for our enemies.

When troubles and trials come into our lives and they are caused by those against God, and us who believe; we learn to pray “God forgive us our sins as we pray for those who have “sinned against us”.  We who have watched God work and have been “schooled” and rescued many times over, have learned to also quickly forgive and pray for our enemies.  We understand why Jesus told us to pray for our enemies!  When we pray for those who hate us momentarily; it is harder to stay mad at them and grow bitter over their actions. Asap prayed at the end of His lament;

“Bring them to the end of their rope, and leave them there dangling, helpless. Then they’ll learn your name: “God,” the one and only High God on earth.”

We can pray for God to transform our enemies’ hearts from hate to loving kindness and renewed mind to seek to replace the evil in their being to God’s righteousness. 

Remember, it is not God’s desire that anyone perish–so it shouldn’t be our desire either.  Take it from Jesus;

“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.” –Jesus, Matthew 5:43-47, MSG

Well, okay then, Jesus is pretty clear about our response to our enemies!  What do you think and how will you respond next time or is it time now?

Oh Lord,

We have so much still to learn!  We learn from your Word that is even more to learn AND do in Your Name, for our good, and Your glory!  May your Kingdom come and dwell within us and be seen all around us with grateful praise. May your will be done with willing obedient hearts as we trust and obey.

In Jesus Name, Amen