Prayer for Deliverance from the Treacherous.
A Song of [a]Ascents.
120 In my trouble I cried to the Lord,
And He answered me.
2 Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips,
From a deceitful tongue.
3 What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you,
You deceitful tongue?
4 Sharp arrows of the warrior,
With the burning coals of the broom tree.5 Woe is me, for I sojourn in Meshech,
For I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6 Too long has my soul had its dwelling
With those who hate peace.
7 I am for peace, but when I speak,
They are for war.
There are a couple interesting things going on here. The first involves the trouble in which the poet found himself. He was dwelling with a bunch of rogues, whose lives were filled with conflict, strife, and deceit. This is why he cried out to God, but it seems he waited a bit longer than he should (“too long” in v. 6). The second is right at the beginning, which flips this psalm from a petition to a testimony, because we already know that God answered the psalmist.
As we look at the psalmist’s predicament, we have to ask ourselves about the people we dwell among. Who are the folks that we call friends, who do we spend most of our time around? Now certainly, we should not isolate ourselves in some monastery, as the old story of Telemachus would illustrate. But we also should not spend all of our time with those who drag us down.
Whether it is folks like the psalmist, who crave war and strife, or folks who drag us down spiritually, or financially, or even embroil us in their continual talk of political conspiracy. They all have one thing in common, a (quite natural) thirst for bickering, arguing, blame-shifting, and other quite “lovely” behaviors. We should not ourselves engage in any of this, and if we find ourselves sliding down that slippery slope, it is time for a change.
Yet it isn’t an easy task, as the psalmist found. He tried to reason with them, make an agreement with them, and yet the deceit of his neighbors ran too deep, and they went back on their word. No, we need to go to God when we find ourselves beyond our depth. When we’ve swum too far out into the world, and are in danger of drowning, we need the only true Rescuer to come to our aid.
And He will, but we really shouldn’t wait so long. Take inventory of your relationships now, and tomorrow, and next month, often and early. Ask God for discernment, and wisdom, ask Him to make you a light in the darkness without succumbing to the darkness itself. Shine brightly, as children of the light, in a world that so desperately needs rescue.