psalm 10

Psalm 10 (NRSV)
Psalm 10
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
1 Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.
3 For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart,
those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.
4 In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”;
all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”
5 Their ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of their sight;
as for their foes, they scoff at them.
6 They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved;
throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”
7 Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.
8 They sit in ambush in the villages;
in hiding places they murder the innocent.
Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9 they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert;
they lurk that they may seize the poor;
they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.
10 They stoop, they crouch,
and the helpless fall by their might.
11 They think in their heart, “God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

Lord,
What a description of evil this is! What a devastating proclamation of the reality and the destructive power of sin! And Lord, we know that it is so. “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely.”

I think of Lazarus and Dives, Jesus’ parable of the rich man who was so insulated from the reality of life at his front door, he just did not see. And Jesus said that the rich man who was blind to his neighbor went to hell for it. That’s harsh! He did not set out to do bad things to the poor man. He did not deliberately abuse him or misuse him. The poor man at the door was just ignored and that was sin enough. Forgive us all our blindness.

For those of us who sit on the far outer circles of power, it’s hard to know what to do. Today I pray with the poet. Lord, see the evil that is around us. See the sin the drives the evil as the poor and the weak are trampled. See it and stop it.

I may be wrong but I believe that most people with great power do not set out to be oppressors or tyrants. They just become insulated and isolated from the realities of life in other parts of town. Convert them. Open their eyes. Open their hearts.

Open my heart O God. Open my eyes. Show me the way that you would have me walk as you minister to the wounded, the defeated, the oppressed, the weak and vulnerable.

Last week Peggy volunteered at Doorstep, a helping agency in town. She sorted clothing and offered a warm welcome to all who entered. In the face of global poverty, it doesn’t seem like much but it is more than nothing. It is a testimony and I am grateful for that.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Ask God to help you see those who are near you, all who are near you.
As God to lead you in God’s walk of rightful living.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.

In Christ’s name,
Amen.


12 Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
do not forget the oppressed.
13 Why do the wicked renounce God,
and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?
14 But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief,
that you may take it into your hands;
the helpless commit themselves to you;
you have been the helper of the orphan.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers;
seek out their wickedness until you find none.
16 The Lord is king forever and ever;
the nations shall perish from his land.
17 O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;
you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear
18 to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,
so that those from earth may strike terror no more.a
[1]

a Meaning of Heb uncertain

[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989