Psalm 109 - 11.4.22

Scripture

Psalm 109:4

In return for my friendship they accuse me,
    but I am a man of prayer.

Observation – What does it say?

David is really struggling. Being hurt and betrayed by people you loved can be incredibly painful. Those he offered friendship and was good to have now paid him back with evil, saying hateful and hurtful things about him, and attacking him without reason.

In the middle of his venting about the situation, almost as a parenthetical statement that doesn’t seem to fit the flow of his thoughts, he says, “But I am a man of prayer.” Then he goes right back to how these people have betrayed him. This psalm, which is really a heartfelt prayer turned song, is evidence that in his moments of intense struggling he went to God.

David was a warrior, a king, an army commander, killer of giants. Yet rather than taking vengeance into his own hands he pours out his heart to God and asks God to take care of his enemies. What a powerful example!

Understanding – What does it mean?

What is your reflex response to pain? I can be tempted to retaliate and have often said things I now regret. Or I can isolate and have a pity party. Or sometimes I just want to turn on the tv or take a nap to escape.

But David shows us that the best reflex response to pain is to pray. Go to God. Share your pain. Then entrust the situation to him and trust him with the outcome.

Your repetition becomes your reputation. And David had repeated going to God in his moments of pain and struggle so many times it became a reflex habit for him. So much so that it became a part of his reputation and his identity, “I am a man of prayer.”

Life Application

God, please help me and help us to cultivate this reflex response to pain and struggle. May we run to you every time, sharing our hurts with you, asking for your help, and trusting you with the outcome. May it become our reputation and our identity to the point that we could say, “I am a man of prayer,” or “I am a woman of prayer.” Amen.

-Levi Thompson