April 8, 2023

Passage Read: Psalm 107-110
Meditation Verses: 109:25-27

Thought

When Jesus returns, all this prayer will be answered, but that's not what the psalmist is asking for. He wants justification in this life, in these days. He wants the evil man to suffer and the innocent to be protected, and all of it to be obvious to everyone that the Lord has done it. For the Lord praise, for the rebuke of any who delights in evil, and for the deliverance of any who trust in the Lord and do good. He wants the wicked to be warned, the righteous to be comforted and the Lord to get the glory. But even God is willing to endure the wicked, to turn the other cheek, to put up with mocking and abuse; otherwise, this prayer wouldn't exist.

Application

There are times when the wicked get their judgment, but there are also times when the wicked rise to power, and there is nothing for the righteous to do but go into hiding. It is not unreasonable to petition the Lord to overthrow the wicked, to obliterate the wicked and their descendants in such spectacular way that He gets the glory. Because the wicked do great evil, and often the Lord alone is the only authority who will listen, who still hates wickedness. I can pray for the repentance of the wicked, but many are set on doing evil, such that without dramatic intervention by the Lord, they would never consider changing. I will pray against the wicked, that the Lord would turn them to Himself or remove them from the face of the earth.