Reveal Yourself
Opening Prayer
Do you have friends or family members who have not yet surrendered their lives to Christ? Pray for them now.
Read Psalm 83:1-18
[1] A song. A psalm of Asaph. 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. [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. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
How does the psalmist want God to act toward his enemies?Let’s face it, for some of you these last two weeks have been frustrating because there are those who you wish would surrender their lives to Christ, but they don’t. Maybe they openly reject you and your faith, and as you read Psalm 83 you felt drawn to the frustration and desperation of the words. The psalmist moves from the natural difficulty and pressure felt by those living in an environment where people oppose them to a supernatural trust in the God who can declare his Lordship even among those who do not initially acknowledge his Name. One of our challenges is to stop trying to do God’s job for him! We are not responsible for forcing people to surrender their lives to God; our role is rather to point them to Jesus. I have seen the power of prayer in bringing people to a place of decision. Yet so often we give up praying before anything happens because we don’t see any quick answers. We need to keep going in prayer! Today, may the Lord remind each of us that he is Lord and he is the one who draws people to himself.
Apply
Think of a specific person who is not a Christ-follower and use v. 18 as a prayer, adding their name.
Closing prayer
Lord God, I lift to You those whose names I hold in my heart who need to revel in Your saving grace.
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