Monday, 5th Week of Easter

Psalm 56

Spend enough time with the Psalms, and you find yourself praying sentiments such as, “Have mercy on me, O God, for my enemies are hounding me; all day long they assault and oppress me” (v. 1). There’s an awful lot of talk about enemies in the Psalms. In a middle class, fairly predictable culture like the one we live in, it might seem odd to think about enemies. We live in a culture of reciprocity – You do something for me, I do something for you.

Then again, perhaps you’ve paid for someone to make renovations to your house. They’ve done shoddy, substandard work, after taking your money, and they won’t return your phone calls. Don’t those people feel like enemies to you?

Interestingly, the Psalmist is in the midst of enemies. Yet he also says, “I am bound by the vow I made to you, O God…For you have recued my soul from death” (vs. 11,12). He has not yet been delivered from those who oppress him. Yet he still vows faithfulness to God, hoping that God will save him, but not making his vow dependent on God doing something for him.

In the Psalms, we have permission to complain to God about those who try to harm us. Yet even in the midst of that complaint, we also have the opportunity to reaffirm our trust in God. Don’t deny yourself these opportunities.