Justice for the Poor

Monday, August 3, 2015
Psalm 140:6-13 NIV

6 I say to the LORD, "You are my God." Hear, LORD, my cry for mercy. 7 Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle. 8 Do not grant the wicked their desires, LORD; do not let their plans succeed. 9 Those who surround me proudly rear their heads; may the mischief of their lips engulf them. 10 May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into miry pits, never to rise. 11 May slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down the violent. 12 I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. 13 Surely the righteous will praise your name, and the upright will live in your presence.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What is the psalmist's prayer to the Lord? (v.6)
2) Who does the psalmist declare the Lord to be and what has the Lord done for him? (v.7)
3) What are the psalmist's petitions to the Lord? Why? (v.8-13)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) Who (or what) are your enemies? What are your prayers to the Lord concerning them?

LIFE LESSONS
5) The Lord expects His children to pray blessings for our human enemies and to pray deliverance from spiritual and emotional strongholds (enemies of our soul).