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We’ve talked a few times about praying through the Psalms. Today we are going to look at Psalm 7 and learn some things about prayer and then pray through it. 🙂

Psalm 7
1 Lord my God, I take refuge in you;
save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2 or they will tear me apart like a lion
and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

We are able to lament to the Lord, truly share our heart. Do not hold back as though you are somehow manicuring your prayers to Him, He knows your thoughts. Cry out and ask Him to help you, and pour out your heart in the most transparent way possible. David was fearful and saw no other avenue of safety. He thought his enemies were going to destroy him, and He was transparent about it.

3 Lord my God, if I have done this
and there is guilt on my hands—
4 if I have repaid my ally with evil
or without cause have robbed my foe—
5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
let him trample my life to the ground
and make me sleep in the dust.

This is the awkward part of this prayer… the same wrath we are praying towards our enemies who are pursuing us we must agree to be imparted towards us if we have committed the same evils towards them. We can pray for freedom and deliverance but we must acknowledge that we are held to the same standard as the others. Here David cries out for freedom but puts this stanza in notating that he is rather confident that he has been walking in righteousness.

Are your prayers able to be stated this way? Are you confident you are walking with the Lord purely and being obedient? Could you cry out for deliverance and simultaneously agree with God that if you were the source of the evil that you should receive harsh punishment? If not, you see exactly why your prayers are hindered. We should be able to pray like this because our lives should be reflecting the obedience of Christ. We need to recognize that our prayers are stunted by our own deliberate disobedience. Perhaps your prayer life’s power is diminished because of your own disobedience, and you need to be praying for help being faithful to Him!

6 Arise, Lord, in your anger;
rise up against the rage of my enemies.
Awake, my God; decree justice.
7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
while you sit enthroned over them on high.
8 Let the Lord judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity, O Most High.

Again, you’ll need to be walking in righteousness and integrity to trust your prayers are going to be answered. If we are walking in disobedience we need not expect God to provide us with “more” in life. His focus is His righteousness being displayed in our obedience. That will be what we see growth/involvement in first by the Lord.

9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God
who probes minds and hearts.

10 My shield is God Most High,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
a God who displays his wrath every day.
12 If he does not relent,
he will sharpen his sword;
he will bend and string his bow.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he makes ready his flaming arrows.

14 Whoever is pregnant with evil
conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
falls into the pit they have made.
16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;
their violence comes down on their own heads.

17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

Respond:

Father, you are my Lord my God and I take refuge in you alone. I know that my safety, my ability, and my life is found in you. Please save and deliver me from all who pursue me, keep me safe from the evil one who is prowling like a lion looking to devour us. Help me to know that if I am not abiding in You and listening to you I am allowing a door for my enemy to come in and tear me apart like a lion, tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me. As I find refuge in other sources God, remind me that there is no power within them and YOU alone can keep me safe.

Lord, if I am walking in disobedience please tear me down. If I am hurting others through my actions make it known! Show me my path, my intentions, and cause my heart to break over my evil actions. I know that in my disobedience the enemy is able to draw near. Produce in me fear and discontentment when I am walking in unrighteousness. Let me see the enemy overtake me as I forsake you. Keep me from being content and ignorant while I sin, but instead break me apart as I walk in my sinful habits.

Application:

I am unsure if you were willing to pray that prayer… and if you weren’t you know exactly why. So pray for Him to fix it.

If you haven’t already, pray through the Psalms daily or weekly! It will remind you of great truths you need to be realizing daily.