Read
(A song and a psalm by Asaph.)
God Rules All the Earth
1Our God, don't just sit there,
silently doing nothing!
2Your hateful enemies
are turning against you
and rebelling.
3They are sly, and they plot
against those you treasure.
4They say, “Let's wipe out
the nation of Israel
and make sure that no one
remembers its name!”
5All of them fully agree
in their plans against you,
and among them are
6Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
7Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia and Phoenicia.
8Even Assyria has joined forces
with Moab and Ammon.
9 Our Lord, punish all of them
as you punished Midian.
Destroy them, as you destroyed
Sisera and Jabin
at Kishon Creek 10near Endor,
and let their bodies rot.
11 Treat their leaders as you did
Oreb and Zeeb,
Zebah and Zalmunna.
12All of them said, “We'll take
God's valuable land!”
13Our God, scatter them around
like dust in a whirlwind.
14Just as flames destroy forests
on the mountains,
15pursue and terrify them
with storms of your own.
16Make them blush with shame,
until they turn and worship
you, our Lord.
17Let them be forever ashamed
and confused.
Let them die in disgrace.
18Make them realize that you
are the Lord Most High,
the only ruler of earth!
Reflect
For those of us blessed to be living in a time of peace, upon first reading of this psalm there seems little we can relate to. The psalmist lists the nations at war with Israel and entreats God to intervene and claim victory. The words appear harsh, angry and vengeful.
But interestingly a pattern of prayer emerges here that demonstrates an excellent structure for intercession, whether the enemy is an aggressive nation or the supernatural forces of evil working to destroy our lives and the lives around us.
The psalmist first addresses God with an earnest request for response, implicitly declaring that the Almighty God is not a God of inaction (verse 1). He then lays out his concern based upon the truth of God’s love for his people (verse 3). In the verses that follow he names his request and recounts the evidence of God’s faithfulness in the past (verse 9). He then finishes his petition with the ultimate purpose for the request – that the name of the Lord would be lifted high (verse 18), and not for the glory of Israel.
Hours before Jesus was betrayed and taken into custody he interceded on behalf of his disciples and all believers. In this prayer recorded in John 17, similar to the structure of Psalm 83 he calls upon his Father to act. He bases his requests on the truth of God’s eternal plan for his beloved people. Within this context he petitions his Father to protect his people from the evil one at work in the world. The ultimate aim of the prayer is to glorify God and celebrate his love.
In this psalm we have been given an excellent template for asking God to intervene in our daily battles. It is up to us to pray wisely.
Respond
Righteous Father, you long to hear us lift our voices in prayer. Help us to approach you with words that are pleasing to you, trusting in your goodness and faithfulness. Hear us, O Lord, in dark times. We humbly ask this. Amen.
Miriam Wickett
Miriam Wickett works as an occupational therapist in the Greater Vancouver area but has thoroughly enjoyed being the author of daily online prayer compilations on her Blue Stone City site, and collaborating with Scripture Union Canada as a result. She shares a vision for the city with her community at Tenth Church, serving as the refugee support ministry co-ordinator, and spends summers as a volunteer camp director on beautiful Thetis Island, B.C.