July 15 - Psalm 68:1

Rise up, O God, and

scatter your enemies.

Psalm 68:1a

 

Wait … read that again.

 

Now ask: Whose enemies? It’s God’s enemies that we’re praying against! (“GOD … scatter YOUR enemies.)

 

Pay attention to this: There are two sets of enemies in life:

 

1.   There are MY enemies.

 

2.   And there are GOD’S enemies.

 

What’s the difference?

 

First some basics:

 

God’s discernment is all-knowing. Our discernment is limited. (Our judgment also tends to biased and self-interested!)

 

Furthermore, God’s perspective is eternal, while we tend to focus on the temporary and immediate. For example and as it says in Scripture, God occasionally chooses to refine us … like a craftsman uses fire to purify gold. But we don’t like fire!!! We want immediate victories. We want to feel quicker success.

 

In light of this discussion on perspectives and priorities, how we define enemies matters!

 

·         In today’s passage, WE ask GOD to scatter HIS enemies.

·         In other passages – like Matthew 5:44 – GOD asks US to pray for OUR enemies.

 

Strange, isn’t it? What’s the difference?

 

·         GOD’S enemies are TRUE enemies. They are true kingdom adversaries according to HIS all-knowing and eternal perspective. Therefore, it is always appropriate for US to ask GOD to scatter HIS true enemies.

 

·         But it’s also appropriate for GOD to ask US to pray for OUR enemies. Why?

 

o   Because our perspective is always limited.

o   Because we tend to pray for what we personally want … rather than what the entire kingdom needs. (In fact, God may use even uncomfortable situations for his glory.)

o   Because we don’t always recognize when an immediate foe might be a long-term friend (thus, why are we praying against a future friend).

o   Because we always and naturally desire quick blessings rather than long-term refinement (and our enemies may occasionally be God’s uncomfortable tool for our ultimate refinement).

o   Because praying even for our enemies helps us trust God and His provision … rather than the ourselves and our world and human solutions.

 

Do you see what I’m trying to say?!

 

We need to simultaneously pray FOR OUR enemies ... and AGAINST GOD’S enemies. And then WE need to trust that in HIS wisdom and HIS goodness, GOD will sort it all out to the glory of HIS name!

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who likes

to control

more than trust