How to Pray in Times of Trouble -- Lesson 2

Lesson 2--
When in trouble, Pray for those who persecute you
 *This post is the 2nd in a series of four lessons from Psalm 70 on praying in times of trouble 

^{Psalm 70:2-3}

² May those who want to take my life

    be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
    be turned back in disgrace.
³ May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
    turn back because of their shame.

This trouble that David is in, is that his life is in danger

People were trying to kill him- we see that in verse 2

 “those who seek my life”

“who desire my ruin”—there was an imminent threat of those seeking to hurt and kill him

 In these two verses we see David praying for those who seek his life.

 In Verse 3-

We see that people are saying “Aha, aha”.

Now that’s kind of a strange thing for us. Not many of us find ourselves using language like that.

We see this same phrase in other places in the Psalms

Psalms 35:19-21

“Let not those who gloat over me who are my enemies without cause;

Let not those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye

They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land.

They gape at me and say, “Aha! Aha!”

25, “Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!” or say, “We have swallowed him up”

So what is meant here by “Aha, Aha” is slander.  It’s a sort of taunting or a "pot shot" if you will.

Those who are oppressing David are his enemies.  Not only are they seeking his life, but there is a picture here of them loving to see the demise of someone- “Aha, Aha”.

I help pastor a church on Capitol Hill.  The ugliness of politics may often bring out someone who is seeking the demise of others. Maybe it’s someone who delights in your ruin because they get your job if you mess up.  I’ve talked to members of our church who have said that often someone is willing to “stab you in the back” if it means their advancement and gain.  That’s a picture of this “Aha, Aha” type of statement that delights and gloats in ruining someone.

Now again, we’re not exactly sure why people are trying to kill David

In the prior Psalm 69, it’s clear that David is not being persecuted because of his sin

Psalm 69: 4 refers to “those who hate me without reason”.  So David knew what it is like to be hated and insulted and have people trying to kill him for no reason

With that type of threat and treatment in mind, let’s look at what David is praying for his enemies:

In vs. 2-That they be put to shame and confusion, that they would be turned back in disgrace.

And then in vs. 3- That they would be turned back because of their shame.

Simply put, David is praying for the plans of his enemies to fail. He is asking for their efforts to be frustrated, that they might be turned back in both shame and confusion.  These enemies were seeking evil and David is praying that their plans to shame him would fall right back on themselves.

It is right to pray for those who are doing evil, that their plans will fail.  

This is a great model of how to pray for those who want to cause trouble for us.  We’re told in Scripture that ultimately our enemies are not flesh and blood.  Satan and the forces of darkness, but His evil does manifest itself in real people.  We’re told not to take vengeance against enemies, we’re told not to return insults, or to seek personal retribution. We are not to not take things into our own hands, we are to trust God to execute justice. 

While many of us may not have experienced someone seeking to kill us, we should expect that following Christ will bring insults (family, classmates, co-workers who are waiting for you to mess up)    We’re told in the Bible that all who live a godly live in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12).

Following Jesus today in today’s culture might get you referred to as extreme, a religious nut, intolerant, or a bigot.

What was happening here to David, is what we can expect
may happen in our lives.

It is what people were doing to Jesus during his crucifixion.

Seeking to kill him, to ruin him, but also to mock him and to hurl insults.

“You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself!

He saved others but he can’t save himself! “

Jesus bore these taunts and insults, and we should expect to bear them too.

 And like David we must remember, when in trouble, pray for those who persecute you.