They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. Psalm 109:3,4
David’s response to the attacks and accusations in verse 4, “but I give myself to prayer". to me, this is one of the most amazing verses in the Bible. Instead of feeling the need to justify himself or defend himself, he gave himself to prayer. What if that was our response to situations where we feel out of control, instead of grasping for power over our circumstances, we give ourselves to prayer.
I could give myself to fear.
I could give myself to anxiety.
I could give myself to bitterness.
I could give myself to manipulation.
or...
I could give myself to prayer.
To be fair, that last one is the hardest. The others come naturally. The last option requires waiting, but it also ushers me into God's presence.
This small act is anything but small. It willingly puts the circumstances back in God’s hands where they belong. It’s funny how much we can convince ourselves that we are in control when we don’t have control at all.
What if our response to every betrayal in our lives was to give ourselves to prayer? Every time someone lets us down and doesn’t meet our expectation, instead of feeling all insecure and squirrely, we pray for them instead. Now, I mean good things, not that lightning would strike them. Pray for the goodness of God to chase them down and for them to know Him. What if we give ourselves to prayer and trust God to fight for us and for them?
What if in every situation that makes us feel disappointed, we open ourselves to prayer? Instead of sitting in our smashed expectations, we give them back to God and wait. How might that change not just our attitudes but also our circumstances?
His presence is the balm for whatever circumstances I am trying to navigate, or likely trying to control. He himself is my peace (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus literally is our peace and He is the only reason we can experience peace.
But you, O God my Lord, deal on my behalf for your names sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me! Psalm 109:21
God will take care of our name when we consider His first.
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