Psalm 109; Luke 22:31-38

Wow, I'm afraid I've been stalled by the side of the road for a few days as far as this blog is concerned, and I apologize for that. I'll try to keep my engine running a little better!

Psalm 109
Here we have another Psalm of David who writes about an experience that we have all probably had. I know I have. He is telling the Lord about people who slander him, tell lies about him, say terrible things about him, accuse him, and fight against him for no reason. He says he loves them and prays for them, but they repay evil for good and hatred for love.

Well, now we know that what happens to us sometimes is not new!

And David, bless his heart, does not respond well. And so we are not alone there either. In vv. 6-20 David asks God to judge the man who lied about him. Here are a few of the punishments that David asks the Lord to carry out:

• May an accuser bring him to trial
• Let him be found guilty
• Consider his prayers to be sins
• Let his years be few
• May his children become fatherless
• May his wife be a widow
• May his children wander as beggars
• May they be homeless
• May creditors seize his estate
• Let no one be kind to him
• Let no one pity his fatherless children
• May all his offspring die
• May the Lord never forget his sins or those of his ancestors
• May the same curses which he meted out be returned to him

You get the idea! David is hurt and angry, and he holds back none of these feelings from the Lord. Are we this honest when we pray? I have to admit that I am capable of thinking some pretty ugly things and wishing them on my "enemies," but I don't think I would have the nerve to actually pray those thoughts to the Lord! Notice that David did not try to take things into his own hands to set the record straight. He went to directly to the Lord.

Beginning with v. 21, David begins to ask for healing for his own wounded heart. He asks for God's favor; he asks God to rescue him. He admits that he is poor and needy and hurting. "Help me, O Lord my God! Save me because of your unfailing love." v. 26  "...I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone. For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them." vv. 30-31.

After all his bitter feelings and words had been expressed, David was able to ask for help and healing and even to give praise and thanks!

Luke 22:31-38
If you will recall, we were looking in this chapter about how our enemy and the Lord's enemy, Satan, worked to try to defeat Jesus and His followers. In v. 31 Jesus says that Satan had asked to "sift each of you (apostles) like wheat." It seems that Satan must have asked permission to work and apparently Jesus granted his request. Jesus then pleaded with the Father in prayer for him (Simon Peter) that his faith would not fail. But even then Jesus knew that he (Peter) would indeed fail but would eventually repent and turn back to Jesus. He tells him that when this happens, he (Peter) is to strengthen his brothers. It occurs to me that maybe sometimes God allows hard things to happen to us or maybe He allows us to fail so that we can use our experiences to help others. This is the school of hard knocks, and we are to pass the lessons along.