SONG OF THE WOUNDED
Opening Prayer
Lord God, you understand my every desire and every thought. You know me completely and you still want me to draw close to you. Thank you.
Read PSALM 109
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 My God, whom I praise,
do not remain silent,
2 for people who are wicked and deceitful
have opened their mouths against me;
they have spoken against me with lying tongues.
3 With words of hatred they surround me;
they attack me without cause.
4 In return for my friendship they accuse me,
but I am a man of prayer.
5 They repay me evil for good,
and hatred for my friendship.
6 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty,
and may his prayers condemn him.
8 May his days be few;
may another take his place of leadership.
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.
10 May his children be wandering beggars;
may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor seize all he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12 May no one extend kindness to him
or take pity on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,
their names blotted out from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord;
may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before the Lord,
that he may blot out their name from the earth.
16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,
but hounded to death the poor
and the needy and the brokenhearted.
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—
may it come back on him.
He found no pleasure in blessing—
may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing as his garment;
it entered into his body like water,
into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers,
to those who speak evil of me.
21 But you, Sovereign Lord,
help me for your name’s sake;
out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give way from fasting;
my body is thin and gaunt.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.
26 Help me, Lord my God;
save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know that it is your hand,
that you, Lord, have done it.
28 While they curse, may you bless;
may those who attack me be put to shame,
but may your servant rejoice.
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.
30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
in the great throng of worshipers I will praise him.
31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to save their lives from those who would condemn them.
Footnotes
- Psalm 109:10 Septuagint; Hebrew sought
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
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment” (1 John 4:18). How can this verse affect your prayer life when you consider your deepest emotions and concerns—even those you might feel are unacceptable to him?I am glad David wrote Psalm 109. Trace the emotions that lie behind David’s words. It is reassuring to know we can be completely open with God about what we are going through and how we feel about it. Do you have a complaint? Are you indignant? Take those feelings to God (vv. 2–5). Are you desperate (vv. 1, 6, 21, 26), hurt, and at the end of your resources (vv. 22–25)? Pour it out to the Lord. Are you fuming about injustice (vv. 16–18) and inwardly boiling for revenge (vv. 8–15)? Release your frustration, your anger, and your darkest desires to God. He can handle it.
When we bring our darkest thoughts into God’s light through prayer, something shifts. Prayer is the ultimate safe space to release our dark thoughts and emotions. God does not leave us stewing in our darkness. Notice how David’s rant of verses 7 to 20 and the self-absorption of verses 21 to 25 change to something more measured by the last stanza.
Through prayer, God shifts our focus to his character. Once we are assured of God’s love (v. 26), his justice (v. 31), and his willingness to bless (v. 28), we can leave our grievances with him, knowing he will do what is good and right.
Apply
God knows you and your present situation completely. Pour out your heart to him.
Closing prayer
Thank you, Father, that you not only receive my prayers, you welcome every one of them. When I come to you in prayer, help me to be real, to speak whatever is in my heart…and help me to listen for your voice, to feel your loving care.
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