But you, O Sovereign Lord, deal with me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.
My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt…
Help me, O Lord my God; save me in accordance with your love…
They may curse, but you will bless; when they attack they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice…
With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great throng I will praise him. For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save their lives from those who condemn them. Psalm 109:21- 31
My brother, Joe, and I grew up in the same family and shared many of the same interests and passions. We both gave our hearts to Jesus at an early age – and sensed God’s call to ministry in our early 20’s. But when it comes to emotions – particularly the experience and expression of anger – we are polar opposites. Joe is more likely to express his emotions outwardly; I am more likely to hide my feelings somewhere inside myself. So as we were growing up I was often identified as the “patient one” while he was sometimes seen as the one with a “temper problem.”
Once when we were adults we got into a conflict about something and I said, something like, “If you wouldn’t lose your temper …” To which he immediately responded, “Don’t even pretend you don’t have an anger problem too! You’ve punished me for years with your silence!” In that moment we both realized that we were both right. But, we were each focused on the other’s problem, not our own!
Whether our tendency is toward rage (expressing our hurt and anger outwardly and forcefully) or, toward bitterness (burying our hurt and anger deep in our hearts), the antidote is the same – confession.
Every step of spiritual growth begins with honest confession before God. Psalm 109 is best seen as a prayer of confession – not confession of sin – but confession of emotion, of pain and anger. David knows the only way to healing is through honest confession of his heart before God.
Notice the progression of his prayer.
He has named the wrong done to him (vs. 1-5).
He has expressed his feelings of rage and desire for retribution (vs. 6-20).
Then he moves to a cry for help.
But you, O Sovereign Lord, deal with me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
Help me, O Lord my God; save me in accordance with your love…
They may curse, but you will bless; when they attack they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice…
With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great throng I will praise him. For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save their lives from those who condemn them. Psalm 109:23-31 (selected)
I am poor and needy.
Deal with me. Deliver me. Help me. Bless me. Save me.
You can almost feel the tension and anger draining from David’s heart as he pours out all his hurt and frustration to his God. The prayer he begins with - great agitation and pain – ends with worship and praise. This is the power of prayer as confession.
Anger is inevitable in human life. Sometimes that anger takes the form of rage and sometimes bitterness. But God is good enough, is big enough, and loves us enough to handle our anger – if we are honest enough to share it with him in prayer.
Ask God to use his word to help you grow in your experience and practice of prayer!
Brian Coffey
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