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Psalm 35 (ESV)

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 for my help!
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 disappointed who devise evil against me!
⁵ Let them be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them away!
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 destruction come upon him when he does not know it!
And let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall into it—to his destruction!

⁹ Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord,
exulting in his salvation.
¹⁰ All my bones shall say,
“O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor
from him who is too strong for him,
the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

REFLECTION:

1. When the psalmist feels hurt, the anger pours forth in an eloquent torrent. There is no sense of “I’m not supposed to feel this way.” Christian maturity is not about reducing the highs and lows of emotions to a level plane, but of feeling deeply in a godly way.
2. How do you respond when people treat you unfairly? In what situation do you wish the Lord would fight for you?
3. We may not feel gracious toward those who hurt us, but we choose to act that way, not from feelings but from obedience to Jesus Christ. Who do you feel hostility and anger toward?
4. Ask God to bless those who have hurt you.

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

HYMN:

Then My Soul Shall Rejoice – www.youtube.com/watch?v=khrTQZiXce4