Psalm 5
1Give ear to my words, O Lord;
give heed to my sighing.
2Listen to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
4For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil will not sojourn with you.
5The boastful will not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
6You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
7But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house,
I will bow down towards your holy temple
in awe of you.
8Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.
9For there is no truth in their mouths;
their hearts are destruction;
their throats are open graves;
they flatter with their tongues.
10Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of their many transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
11But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
so that those who love your name may exult in you.
12For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover them with favor as with a shield.
How do you pray for your enemies? Is the overall theme communication with God, freedom from persecution, or destruction? I'm afraid that we want to see our enemies humiliated. We want to be the agent of that humiliation. Here the Psalmist offers another way.
It is not himself that the writer is trying to please, but God. It is not the work or schemes or sarcastic whips that the author relies upon but the faithfulness of God who blesses the righteous. Instead of being a psalm of complaint, it is almost a psalm of resignation. Yet it is not the kind of resignation that we deem, "throwing in the towel." It is turning over the problem to God. Putting the anxiety and worry in the hands of God.
As you pray this psalm, take time not to focus on the relationship with whoever or whatever your enemy is. Instead, focus on your relationship with the God who will hear our voice when we call. That is the more important relationship of the two.
Prayer--Psalm 5.
G. Thomas Martin