Psalm 140. 141, and 142

Throughout these Psalms you can see common themes and language used by David. He cries out to God, he continuously calls God his protector and safe place, and he asks God to strike down those that would do evil against him.

David has no problem going to God and lifting his voice to him. He is constantly asking God to hear him. He recognizes that God wants him to come to him with his problems and yet at the same time seems to be humbly asking the God of the universe to hear his prayer. Here we see the mix between God being relational but also holy and separate from us. I think David gives us a good example of how to approach God: both with confidence and reverence.

We also see how David views God as His protector. He continually calls God his shield and safe place. David trusts that God will protect him. He knows that only God has the ability to do so. God also protects us. He is the same God who was with David, and because we are His, He will be with us. We can have the same confidence that in our times of trouble God will be near and will be our shield.

David not only asks God to protect him, but he also asks Him to strike down his enemies and those that are wicked. God is the ultimate judge and His judgments are perfectly just. So we see David asking God to be his shield and protector by judging those that seek to destroy David. I've always wondered about this type of communication between David and God. More specifically, I've wondered if it is okay for me to ask God to strike down my enemies. I understand that I'm not in a position of power like David and that I am called to love my enemies. It seems that every other thing that David says can be directly applied to my life and situation besides this. Although, in the New Testament it does talk about vengeance belonging to God so that is ultimately what David is asking God to do.  So in a way, I can relate to what David is saying in that I'm trusting that He will rightly decide what to do with those that seek to do evil against me.

I love that in the Psalms we see the ups and downs of David's relationship with God and we see raw emotion. It gives me words to express to God when I am at a loss. These Psalms that we read today allowed me to dwell on certain truths about God: that He is a relational God, that He is my protector, and that He is a good judge. Take some time to dwell on these truths as well.