God Speaks
A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.
1 O Lord, I have so many enemies;
so many are against me.
2 So many are saying,
“God will never rescue him!” Interlude
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;
you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
4 I cried out to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy mountain. Interlude
5 I lay down and slept,
yet I woke up in safety,
for the Lord was watching over me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies
who surround me on every side.
7 Arise, O Lord!
Rescue me, my God!
Slap all my enemies in the face!
Shatter the teeth of the wicked!
8 Victory comes from you, O Lord.
May you bless your people. Interlude
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: At time this psalm was written, King David was literally under attack and fleeing from his son Absalom, who was trying to take over the kingdom; however, it could be applied to anyone under attack for any reason.
Prayer: A prayer-a-phrase of Psalm 3. O Lord, how many are ____’ s foes! He/she faces assault on or from his/her physical body, from the culture or situation around him/her and from the devil and his forces that would seek to disrupt, discourage, and destroy him/her through his/her mind, will, and emotions. These enemies are saying to ____’s soul, “There is no salvation [hope of rescue] for him/her in God.” But You, O Lord, are a shield surrounding ____. You are his/her glory, and the one who lifts up his/her head [that has been bowed down in shame and/or pain]. We all cry aloud to You, Lord. We trust and know that You have already sent out the answer from Your holy dwelling place. Now, ____ will be able to lay down and sleep. He/she will wake up refreshed because You, the Lord, sustain him/her. He/she will no longer be afraid even if many thousands of people set themselves against him/her, surrounding him/her. Arise, O Lord! Save ____. Strike all his/her enemies in the face. Make their power to bite and devour ineffective. For Your own sake as well as ____’s. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on the suggestion below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will pray the prayer above for someone I know going through hard times or under attack in some way.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.