Psalm 140:11

Psalm 140:11

A prayer against our enemies

Maybe, like me, you are reluctantly pondering this Psalm and David’s vehement condemnation of his enemies. My initial problem has been trying to establish who my enemies are! Don’t we all try to be at one with everyone and at peace with our neighbours? In fact, the Bible seems to suggest that it is perfectly normal to have enemies, they are simply the people who oppose us or who are opposed to us. 

 So, let’s spend a moment or two thinking about this, are there people in the workplace who deliberately put us down, gossip about us and who try to undermine our authority or our roles? They are our enemies. 

Are their individuals who make overtures to our husband or wife and send them messages in secret? They are our enemies.

Are there people on committees, boards, leadership teams or even church bodies who always take the opposite view to us and express their opinions arrogantly? They are our enemies.

Do we know people who are constantly stirring up trouble, dividing opinion, delighting in causing confusion? They are our enemies. 

Are there individuals who are bent on tarnishing our reputations and who exhibit anger and bristle with threats when they are challenged? They are our enemies.

We could go on, but presumably we all encounter people like this and struggle with their attitudes and their evil intentions. If David’s Psalm is to be believed, it is not wrong to label these folk as our foes and nor is it wrong to plead with the Lord to deal with them. This verse is a case in point; can we make it our prayer? “Lord, may these evil ones not be established in our families, churches or communities. And may disaster hunt and strike down any of our enemies who use violence to achieve their ends.” There, we’ve said it, we’ve brought our plea to the Lord and He has heard our cry for mercy. 

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