Scripture Reading: Psalm 109:1-4
Do not keep silent,
O God of my praise!
For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful
Have opened against me;
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without a cause.
In return for my love, they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer.
Like many Psalms, these words of David’s suffering are a faint echo of the greater suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. When you read that David was being lied about, surrounded with words of hatred, being fought against without just cause, and having love repaid with accusations it seems he is writing about Jesus more than himself.
The last line in the portion of the Psalm I quoted above, especially reflects Christ’s response to His suffering. His first words after being nailed to the cross and hung in shame before a mocking mob was, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” His last words were prayers as well: “Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit.”
In the face of an angry mob, false accusations, unjust condemnation, and hate-filled mocking Jesus gave Himself to prayer.
By God’s grace, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we must follow our Lord’s example. The first reaction and the best response to personal attacks are to give ourselves to prayer. There is never a bad time to pray, but those moments are a good time to pray.
Thank you, timely message for me!