A Prayer for Rescue from Enemies

Psalm 35
1	Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me:          fight against them that fight against me.
2	Take hold of shield and buckler,          and stand up for mine help.
3	Draw out also the spear,          and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
4	Let them be confounded and put to shame          that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
5	Let them be as chaff before the wind:          and let the angel of the LORD chase them.
6	Let their way be dark and slippery:          and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.
7	For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit,          which without cause they have digged for my soul.
8	Let destruction come upon him at unawares;          and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.
9	And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD:          it shall rejoice in his salvation.
10	All my bones shall say,          LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?
11	False witnesses did rise up;          they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
12	They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.
13	But as for me, when they were sick,          my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
14	I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother:          I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.
15	But in mine adversity they rejoiced,          and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not:
16	with hypocritical mockers in feasts,          they gnashed upon me with their teeth.
17	Lord, how long wilt thou look on?          Rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.
18	I will give thee thanks in the great congregation:          I will praise thee among much people.
19	Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me:          neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause. Ps. 69.4 · Joh. 15.25
20	For they speak not peace:          but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land.
21	Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me,          and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.
22	This thou hast seen, O LORD: keep not silence:          O Lord, be not far from me.
23	Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment,          even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.
24	Judge me, O LORD my God, according to thy righteousness;          and let them not rejoice over me.
25	Let them not say in their hearts,          Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up.
26	Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together          that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonor that magnify themselves against me.
27	Let them shout for joy, and be glad,          that favor my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
28	And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness          and of thy praise all the day long.

Have Peace!

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27

How true is that! God does keep all His promises. Many years ago, I thought I would never experience peace again. After my mother died, I promised myself that I would never smile again. I made the decision to be miserable.  It is ironic how we are sometimes our own enemy! But, in the years since my mother's passing, I have smiled, and I have even  laughed. God has blessed our family in ways that I never thought possible. We now have peace. Thank God for His goodness, mercy and grace. God has a way of working with us through our hardship and pain and little by little restore the joy in our hearts. God is good. He does not give up on His children. His promises of peace, like all the others, is a promise we can rely on. God expects us to know that he keeps his promises, and can be trusted. You and I must believe that God can and will do what He says will do. Friend, God keeps his promises. It may have been two years or  twenty five years since the promise had been given, but at the appointed time the promise will be fulfilled. God can be relied upon, he can be trusted, and believed on, to do that which he has promised to do. The challenge comes with waiting. We simply do not like to wait. We want it all today and now.

We live in the "microwave era." We want immediate gratification of our wishes and desires. How hard is to wait? Very. Both prophets Isaiah and Malachi talked about promises of God, but the gap between the prophecy of Malachi and its fulfillment with the birth of John was more than four hundred years; whereas the prophecies of Isaiah and the birth of Jesus was about around eight hundred years. God fulfills his promises, and has always proven himself faithful in the past, and He will continue to be faithful. You can and should place your trust in Him. Times are really hard but we can trust God. He promises of peace; therefore, peace is ours.He promises to never leave us alone; therefore we are never alone. Whatever the challenge my dear friend, you can trust God. let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid, is a command. Live in peace. Have faith in God. Remains faithful no matter what comes your way and be blessed!

Father God, thank you for who you are, all you have done, and all you will do in my life. I praise you. I honor you. Amen. 

Praise the Lord!