CRY OUT TO GOD
Opening Prayer
I thank You, Lord Jesus, that You hear me.
Read Psalm 83
Psalm 83[a]
A song. A psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, do not remain silent;
do not turn a deaf ear,
do not stand aloof, O God.
2 See how your enemies growl,
how your foes rear their heads.
3 With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.
4 “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation,
so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
5 With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you—
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Byblos, Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has joined them
to reinforce Lot’s descendants.[b]
9 Do to them as you did to Midian,
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10 who perished at Endor
and became like dung on the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take possession
of the pasturelands of God.”
13 Make them like tumbleweed, my God,
like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest
or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your storm.
16 Cover their faces with shame, Lord,
so that they will seek your name.
17 May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;
may they perish in disgrace.
18 Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—
that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
Footnotes:
a Psalm 83:1 In Hebrew texts 83:1-18 is numbered 83:2-19.
b Psalm 83:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Pause to remember that Jesus came because God loved the world (John 3:16).At first sight this psalm doesn’t seem too promising. It’s all a bit vindictive and not very … well … Christian. But the full revelation of God’s love in Jesus had not yet come. This, and other psalms like it, also encourage us to be honest in sharing our feelings with God. It’s okay to be angry about oppression and injustice and to cry out to God.
God is so intimately involved with his people that their enemies are his enemies. What grieves the writer is that God is attacked (2–5). The world has not changed. God is still under attack. Some deny his existence, some ignore him, others worship gods of their own choice or blame him for the state of the world.
The psalmist wants God to act so that others will turn to God. When God acts in judgment it is always so that people might turn to him. It doesn’t guarantee that they will, but that is God’s
desire (18).
Apply
Take a look at the world. Perhaps reach for a newspaper or visit a news website. How do we react to a world that turns its back on God? How might we adapt this psalm to form our own prayer?
Closing prayer
I praise You, my Lord, that Your heart is always to reconcile people to yourself. May the hearts of those You created turn to You.
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