Psalms 107 - 109

Click HERE to read the passage.

This song was written as a testament to God's mercy and loving kindness, and how God has an infinite supply of it. No matter how guilty you might feel of things done in your past, God's mercy and forgiveness is there for you! Perhaps the hardest part is forgiving yourself.

In chapter 107, David provides for us some examples of how God, in spite of great sinfulness, still forgave people of their sins and rescued them from the struggles they were facing. I'll list them below, but first I find it interesting that 4 times David says,

"Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them."

Here's the first example David provides of just how merciful God is. (ch.107)...

1) First...he tells us of people who have wondered away from God's people and became isolated, lonely, and without a place they could call home. But when they cried out to God, God delivered them! 

2) Secondly...he describes a group of Jews who rebelled against God and purposely went against God's will. As a result, God created a hardship to fall upon them as an attempt to bring them back to Him. It worked! As the cried to the Lord, what did God do?  He delivered them from the hardship they were facing!

3) Thirdly...he speaks of a group of sinful people who seemed to have suffered physically as they were drawing near to death due to their sinfulness. What happened?  Again, these people cried out to God and He healed them!

4) Fourth...he speaks of those who are in the shipping trade and realize the powers of God in the mighty waves of the sea, the wind, and just how vulnerable they are in a storm. When they cry out to God for help, what does God do?  He delivers them!

That's why David starts out chapter 108:1 with this thought, 

"My heart is confident in you, O God;  no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!"

As we move through chapter 108 and 109, we see David once again seeking God's help. He's pleading with God, but doing IN FAITH knowing that God will be with him, thus the reason he ends chapter 108 by saying, 

"With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes."

King David had many enemies, even within his own home. No matter how Godly you try to be, the demonic forces that try to bring you down are not only real, but can be through people you least expect it.

Chapter 109 is David's prayer towards his enemies. Apparently, he was close to some people who turned on him and began to slander him. Has that ever happened to you?

As you read through the chapter, you'll see just how BOLD David is in his prayer! He's upset and asking God to do some very revengeful things, such as:

- Set a wicked man over them to guide them
- Let Satan influence them
- Let their prayers become sin to You
- Let his days be few
- Let his children be fatherless and his wife a widow
- Let his inheritance dissolve into nothingness.

Wow! I don't believe David's example is necessarily how we ought to pray. His wish on them is brutal! Remember when James and John told Jesus they would call fire from the sky to consume Jesus' attackers? Do you remember what Jesus did?  He rebuked them! (Luke 9:53-55) 

I, personally, am not aware of any enemies that I have, however there have been people who have treated me unfairly and hurt me deeply. When I seek God about the matter, especially if someone is trying to hurt me emotionally, I ask for God's help to "spanking" them in a way that seems appropriate to Him. Plus, if they aren't a believer, I ask God to lead them ultimately to a relationship with Him. In doing so, I need to keep my composure in the situation and be an honest, just, and good-hearted representative of Jesus Christ. Is it hard?  Yep!!  But, in the end, God always comes through. Our conflict may never find total closure and they might not come to the Lord, but in the midst of it all God has given me peace!

Do you have enemies you need to pray for?