Psalms – Prayers of Honest and Praise
It is a bad place to be when we are judged harshly for something we did not do. I’ve been there. Many who stand for what is right will experience a backlash of accusations by those who want life as is. Our first thought is anger. We are indignant and want to fight back or run from the injustice. Our righteous anger then turns to fright as we consider the possible outcomes of the punishment that may come as the accuser builds his/her case on lies. Do we just take it even though we did nothing wrong? Or do we stand and defend ourselves, going over every detail of the alleged “crime”? David goes to God. He tells God ALL that his accusers and mockers are saying to him and about him. He is gut honest with his words. He does not hold anything back. He even tells God what God can do to bring justice to his situation. He also tells God how to punish his accusers.
Mm…is David going too far? Do we go too far in our talk with God? Have we stopped to consider just WHO we are talking to? God is God and we are not. Can we talk to God honestly? Yes. But do we tell God what to do? I think God knows what to do. David talks all things over with God. He is the kind of person (like me) who figures out a problem by talking it out, laying it all out and then coming to a conclusion about what he should do. God is the best Someone to go to, not humans. God knows Him. David knows God.So before we judge David’s harsh prayer, like our crying out at times, let’s read this next psalm of prayer for injustice knowing the intimate relationship between God and David.
Another thought…Compare this prayer to what Jesus prayed on the cross…”Forgive them for they know not what they do”. David was human with human reactions. Jesus was God in human form who came to put us right with God. Jesus never did anything wrong in the sight of God. He was perfect so therefore made the perfect sacrifice for our sin. He was mocked and accused with lies and false witness statements. He was beaten, mocked and beaten repeatedly. Jesus went silent for he knew is mission to save us trumped his comfort and defense.
Now, let’s read and see what God puts in our hearts…
Psalm 109, The Message
A David Prayer
1-5 My God, don’t turn a deaf ear to my hallelujah prayer. Liars are pouring out invective on me;
Their lying tongues are like a pack of dogs out to get me,
barking their hate, nipping my heels—and for no reason!
I loved them and now they slander me—yes, me!—
and treat my prayer like a crime;
They return my good with evil,
they return my love with hate.
6-20 Send the Evil One to accuse my accusing judge;
dispatch Satan to prosecute him.
When he’s judged, let the verdict be “Guilty,”
and when he prays, let his prayer turn to sin.
Give him a short life, and give his job to somebody else.
Make orphans of his children,
dress his wife in widow’s weeds;
Turn his children into begging street urchins,
evicted from their homes—homeless.
May the bank foreclose and wipe him out,
and strangers, like vultures, pick him clean.
May there be no one around to help him out,
no one willing to give his orphans a break.
Chop down his family tree
so that nobody even remembers his name.
But erect a memorial to the sin of his father,
and make sure his mother’s name is there, too—
Their sins recorded forever before God,
but they themselves sunk in oblivion.
That’s all he deserves since he was never once kind,
hounded the afflicted and heartbroken to their graves.
Since he loved cursing so much,
let curses rain down;
Since he had no taste for blessing,
let blessings flee far from him.
He dressed up in curses like a fine suit of clothes;
he drank curses, took his baths in curses.
So give him a gift—a costume of curses;
he can wear curses every day of the week!
That’s what they’ll get, those out to get me—
an avalanche of just deserts from God.
21-25 Oh, God, my Lord, step in;
work a miracle for me—you can do it!
Get me out of here—your love is so great!—
I’m at the end of my rope, my life in ruins.
I’m fading away to nothing, passing away,
my youth gone, old before my time.
I’m weak from hunger and can hardly stand up,
my body a rack of skin and bones.
I’m a joke in poor taste to those who see me;
they take one look and shake their heads.
26-29 Help me, oh help me, God, my God,
save me through your wonderful love;
Then they’ll know that your hand is in this,
that you, God, have been at work.
Let them curse all they want;
you do the blessing.
Let them be jeered by the crowd when they stand up,
followed by cheers for me, your servant.
Dress my accusers in clothes dirty with shame,
discarded and humiliating old ragbag clothes.
30-31 My mouth’s full of great praise for God,
I’m singing his hallelujahs surrounded by crowds,
For he’s always at hand to take the side of the needy,
to rescue a life from the unjust judge.
THINK ABOUT IT…
David praises God in the end of his rant because he knows God knows. He knows God is with him. David knows God will “rescue a life from the unjust judge”. Life gets hard when we are accused unjustly but let God take care of it. He will rescue you, pull you out, or change the hearts of the accusers in the situation. God might even use us in His work of turning the lives of the unjust back to Him! Yes, this happens!
Don’t underestimate the God of all and who is in all. Let’s remember Who we are talking to. He knows what He is doing. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray for our accusers and “those who persecute us” for we shall receive mercy and peace for doing so, leaving ourselves out of the court of judgement. God is the only judge. Leave judgement to Him. He is also our Defender and help in times of injustice.
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” –Jesus
HEART CHECK:
When you are accused of wrong you did not do, what is your first response?
Who do you pour out your heart to in situations beyond your control?
Spiritual maturity can be measured by our first response to injustice.
God says,
(Deuteronomy 32:35 NIV)
“It is mine to avenge; I will repay.
In due time their foot will slip;
their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them.”
Romans 12:17-19 NIV)
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
My dad used to say, “You can be right and still be wrong.” This meant you might have done all the right things but to fight back with evil thoughts, words and actions of revenge will be an injustice, too.
Leave it all to God. He knows what He is doing. Talk it over with Him. Be honest, like David, as you bear your soul, but then look up to hear what HE wants you to do next…then do it.Jesus also prayed for “this cup” to be removed, but when God did not, Jesus carried out His mission to save us. Aren’t you glad Jesus followed God to the completion of His purpose?
Can I get an amen and hallelujah?? Come on, now!
Dear Heavenly Father,
Only by your power and strength can I “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with You”. You are our hope and peace. May the peace of Christ rule in our hearts in all situations we will face today. Thank you for rescuing me in the past. I know You know what You are doing. All my trust is in You.
In Jesus Name, Amen
But there is something else that we see if we look a bit closer in the back story of David’s relationship with God. God loved David as the “apple of his eye” from birth. Why, because of David’s devoted love for God. This love began to grow as a young shepherd boy and continued to being the chosen king of God’s people. You see, God saw into David’s heart…as He sees into all our hearts. God saw that David loved God intimately with a grateful, humble heart, with a belief that “God can do anything” mind all wrapped up in a soul who filled himself with God’s love and care for him. David cannot help but praise God with song and dance. He is FULL of the glory of the God who loved him first! Wow. 
3-6 I’m thanking you, God, out in the streets,
7-9 That’s when God spoke in holy splendor:
David does not run FROM battles but runs TO battles that God sends him to fight knowing full well the victory will be God’s through David. David is full of confidence because of his undying trust in God. 
Without God life is meaningless and empty. With God, life is not only doable, it is full of adventure with crazy, wild rides with God steering and looking back over His shoulder with laughter because we are with Him. He loves taking us where He is at work. He loves it when we are trusting fully in Him. 
staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
23-32 Some of you set sail in big ships;
33-41 God turned rivers into wasteland,
Don’t, for a minute, think God has left the building of our lives when we go through the storms of life feeling dizzied by confusing situations. God WILL pull you out in His time…in the nick of time. Your sea will become calm again and you will look back and learn as you move forward in God’s love and care. God will never give up on you, not for a minute! Let HIM steer the boat!
Now we need to tell others what God has done for us, in us and through us. We need to shout our hallelujahs from the rooftops…okay, so at least tell a coworker, family member, or someone, anyone God puts in our path in the marketplace of our lives. Point people to the God, not the storm!
28-31 Then they linked up with Baal Peor,
40-43 And God was furious—a wildfire anger;
HEART CHECK:
1-6 Hallelujah!
7-15 He’s God, our God,
16-22 Then he called down a famine on the country,
They worked marvels in that spiritual wasteland,
Yes, it is God who set the world in a perfect patterned motion to renew itself. It is God who daily restores and renews us with His compassionate forgiveness. Yes, it is God who, from the beginning, had a plan that would be fulfilled in Jesus, His Son to save us from all sin and bring us back to Him when we walk away. It is God who loves us more than we can imagine or realize, but we try because HIS love is so great and profound. It is God, who made us. It is God who loved us before we born, during and after and forever. Even those who didn’t make it to full term physical birth are in His care! This is our God who unconditionally loves each one of us deeply…all of us.
It is God who does not hide from us but it is plain view of all who believe. It is God who helps us look at life from a different, less confusing, perspective. It is God who is uncomplicated and brings simplistic joy to each day when we trust and obey. It is God who give us His indescribable holy peace of Jesus right in the middle of turmoil and high waves that humans think will take us down. It is God who wants HIS best for us. It is God who sent Jesus to tell us about Him and show us how simplistic life can be when we love God first and love others like He loves us. We don’t have to judge (be God) others, we just love. Again, simple yet profound…all because of Jesus’ intervention work to bring us back to God while showing us God.
This is the song I hear while reading the beginning of Psalm 104…. 
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
“The glory of God–let it last forever! 
God made us. God create this wild, wacky, wonderful world we live in but as beautiful as this place is, there’s more to come! The writer of psalm 104 is only a glimpse of what will be for those who love and follow the God who created. He loved us first…isn’t that evident? 
Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out
14-23 Oh yes, God brings grain from the land,
Oh, look—the deep, wide sea,
33-35 Oh, let me sing to God all my life long,
But guess what, we can praise the Lord EVERY day. In fact, God looks forward to meeting us daily, talking with us from morning to night. He smiles when we please Him with our “head to toe” hallelujahs. He loves the way we love others with our lives…as He taught us. He enjoys seeing us reflect Him in all we do. Everything we think, say and do is worship and praise to Him…or that’s what we strive for, right? (Answer is YES! and AMEN!)
12-17 Yet you, God, are sovereign still,
23-28 God sovereignty brought me to my knees,
3. The Changeless Character of God (vv. 23-28). 
Dear Heavenly Father,
Mm, what is the theme song of my life? I ask myself this question as I read David’s words to God in our next psalm. I wonder, like us, if he was beginning a new year at the time he wrote these words. The prayer almost sounds like resolutions with goals of wanting to live better, love better and be a better steward of the life that has been given to him by God. Hold that thought…
SOMETHING MORE TO CHEW ON…
HEART CHECK
