Psalm 35

0 Of David.
1  Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
  fight against those who fight against me!
2  Take hold of shield and buckler,
  and rise up to help me!
3  Draw the spear and javelin
  against my pursuers;
 say to my soul,
  “I am your salvation.”
4  Let them be put to shame and dishonor
  who seek after my life.
 Let them be turned back and confounded
  who devise evil against me.
5  Let them be like chaff before the wind,
  with the angel of the LORD driving them on.
6  Let their way be dark and slippery,
  with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7  For without cause they hid their net for me;
  without cause they dug a pit for my life.
8  Let ruin come on them unawares.
 And let the net that they hid ensnare them;
  let them fall in it—to their ruin.
9  Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD,
  exulting in his deliverance.
10  All my bones shall say,
  “O LORD, who is like you?
 You deliver the weak
  from those too strong for them,
  the weak and needy from those who despoil them.”
11  Malicious witnesses rise up;
  they ask me about things I do not know.
12  They repay me evil for good;
  my soul is forlorn.
13  But as for me, when they were sick,
  I wore sackcloth;
  I afflicted myself with fasting.
 I prayed with head bowed on my bosom,
14   as though I grieved for a friend or a brother;
 I went about as one who laments for a mother,
  bowed down and in mourning.
15  But at my stumbling they gathered in glee,
  they gathered together against me;
 ruffians whom I did not know
  tore at me without ceasing;
16  they impiously mocked more and more,
  gnashing at me with their teeth.
17  How long, O LORD, will you look on?
  Rescue me from their ravages,
  my life from the lions!
18  Then I will thank you in the great congregation;
  in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19  Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me,
  or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20  For they do not speak peace,
  but they conceive deceitful words
  against those who are quiet in the land.
21  They open wide their mouths against me;
  they say, “Aha, Aha,
  our eyes have seen it.”
22  You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent!
  O Lord, do not be far from me!
23  Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense,
  for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24  Vindicate me, O LORD, my God,
  according to your righteousness,
  and do not let them rejoice over me.
25  Do not let them say to themselves,
  “Aha, we have our heart’s desire.”
 Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you up.”
26  Let all those who rejoice at my calamity
  be put to shame and confusion;
 let those who exalt themselves against me
  be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27  Let those who desire my vindication
  shout for joy and be glad,
  and say evermore,
 “Great is the LORD,
  who delights in the welfare of his servant.”
28  Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
  and of your praise all day long.

Daily Prayer (based on Psalm 35:3)

By your grace, Lord, I do not have enemies like those of David. So I don't literally need Your spear and javelin. My enemies are subtler than physical enemies. They're not flesh and blood, but spiritual in nature. Perhaps this is why I need Your strength and protection even more than if my enemies were material. Only You have the power to defeat the spiritual forces that fight against me.

Bring Your power to bear against that which tempts me to sin. Strip away its gleam. Let me see it for what it truly is, so that I might desire You and not that which takes me away from You.

Defeat the pride that so easily creeps into my heart and takes up residence there. May I be humble before You, dear Lord. And may I humbly serve others in this world in imitation of You.

Protect me, Mighty Warrior, from all that would distract or discourage me. Help me to stay focused upon You and the work of Your kingdom. May I keep things in proper perspective, rather than getting ensnared in trivia. Help me to keep my eyes on the goal that You have set before me, and to seek Your pleasure and glory above all else.

Postscript

From today through the first week of Eastertide, I will choose Psalms that are appropriate for the season (Lent, Holy Week, Easter). I'll get back to the sequential order, with Psalm 83, on Monday, April 24. Between now and then my hope is to focus more deeply on the meaning of Christ's ministry, especially His death and resurrection. For more information on the seasons of the Christian year, click here.

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Except for the Scripture text, all material of The Daily Psalm Copyright © 2006 by Mark D. Roberts

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The Scripture text used in The Daily Psalm is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved