Psalms 109:1-31 (NLT)
1 For the choir director: A psalm of David. O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof
2 while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me.
3 They surround me with hateful words and fight against me for no reason.
4 I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations even as I am praying for them!
5 They repay evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 They say, “Get an evil person to turn against him. Send an accuser to bring him to trial.
7 When his case comes up for judgment, let him be pronounced guilty. Count his prayers as sins.
8 Let his years be few; let someone else take his position.
9 May his children become fatherless, and his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander as beggars and be driven from their ruined homes.
11 May creditors seize his entire estate, and strangers take all he has earned.
12 Let no one be kind to him; let no one pity his fatherless children.
13 May all his offspring die. May his family name be blotted out in the next generation.
14 May the LORD never forget the sins of his fathers; may his mother’s sins never be erased from the record.
15 May the LORD always remember these sins, and may his name disappear from human memory.
16 For he refused all kindness to others; he persecuted the poor and needy, and he hounded the brokenhearted to death.
17 He loved to curse others; now you curse him. He never blessed others; now don’t you bless him.
18 Cursing is as natural to him as his clothing, or the water he drinks, or the rich food he eats.
19 Now may his curses return and cling to him like clothing; may they be tied around him like a belt.”
20 May those curses become the LORD’s punishment for my accusers who speak evil of me.
21 But deal well with me, O Sovereign LORD, for the sake of your own reputation! Rescue me because you are so faithful and good.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is full of pain.
23 I am fading like a shadow at dusk; I am brushed off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting, and I am skin and bones.
25 I am a joke to people everywhere; when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn.
26 Help me, O LORD my God! Save me because of your unfailing love.
27 Let them see that this is your doing, that you yourself have done it, LORD.
28 Then let them curse me if they like, but you will bless me! When they attack me, they will be disgraced! But I, your servant, will go right on rejoicing!
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may their humiliation cover them like a cloak.
30 But I will give repeated thanks to the LORD, praising him to everyone.
31 For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them.
In this world that we visit only for a short time, we inevitably encounter conditions that seem intent on our destruction. People often take things personally, seeking to undermine, humiliate, or tear down, while circumstances appear to line up for the opportunity to bring us low. In moments like these, we have a choice: to join the noise of accusation and contention, or, like David, to take our circumstances to the throne of the One who already has a resolution in place.
From a fresh encounter with threatened devastation, we can pour out our hearts and tell the Father everything that has wounded and weighed upon us. Yet at His throne, our focus begins to shift—from the size of the opposition to the greatness of the One who declares that we are more than conquerors. As we share with Him all that we have faced, He supplies far more than what is needed to rise above every storm.
Rather than striving in our own strength against even the smallest opponent, we can go directly to the place prepared for our help: the throne of grace. He is always ready and more than able to clothe us with overcoming strength and divine wisdom, enabling us to reign over every enemy.
As we remain there in humility, in praise and in prayer, we are assured that help beyond imagination or expectation is already in motion for the one who continually keeps thanksgiving and praise upon their lips.