psalm 25

Psalm 25:19-22 (NRSV)
19 Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 O guard my life, and deliver me;
do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all its troubles.
[1]

Lord,

How many are my foes? And how many of them live within my own psyche? Fear, anger, ambivalence, guilt, shame, faithlessness, ancient memories that still get in the way of fruitful living, how many are my foes? As Jesus exorcised demons from the lives of those whom he physically touched, take my inner foes away.

And the external foes, there are a few. Help me to remember that most of my external foes are people who have been taken over by their own personal internal enemies.

But there are others, women and men who hate or ignore you and have little use for me because of my intention to be faithful to you. Selfishness and stinginess and the unfailing quest for power and money have driven some to be full participants in the causes of evil.

So, with the ancient poet, I pray, “guard my life and deliver me… for I take refuge in you.”

Lord, you have given us two great weapons in the struggles of life, integrity and uprightness. Too often these “Kingdom Instruments” have been too little used and too often ignored. Too often, integrity and uprightness have been under valued and underdeveloped. Too often, perhaps, that has been true of me.

Nurture those great virtues in my own soul. I have no expectation of achieving any kind of perfection but if you could just grow those great virtues a little within me, perhaps the world will be a little blessed.

Take care of your church and your people God; take really good care of them.

A personal word: Saturday I attended a wedding and Sunday afternoon I returned to the same Christmas decorated sanctuary for a funeral. Take care of you people, O God, take really good care of our people.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:

Pray, in the manner of the ancient poet, to be safeguarded from all of your foes.

Ask God to nurture the habits of integrity and uprightness in your life.

Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you to God.”

In Christ’s name,
Amen.
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989