In the midst of a psalm praying forcefully against fierce enemies and those committed to do evil, this line and truth emerged:
“Yahweh, You are my God. You hear the sound of my pleading, my voice asking for Your grace, Your favor!” (Psalm 140:6)
I pray it, and I use it to meet with God once again.
I love this about praying God’s word and using the Psalms to pray. I’m using God’s very words, inspired originally by His Spirit and now once again made alive by His Spirit in me so they become more than words, they let my spirit connect with God.
Here’s the next line: “Yahweh, my mighty Lord of salvation. You have protected my head in the day of battle.” Psalm 140:7
Of course the Lord is like a helmet and truly protects my head in the battle, keeps it from receiving a mortal blow or from getting knocked off my shoulders.
But as any battle-hardened soldier can tell you, the enemy who can do you the most harm is yourself. When you get careless, that’s when mistakes can kill you. When you become tired, weary or bored, your mind wanders and you lose focus. Or maybe it’s just holding on to an ungodly belief, or getting demoralized and discouraged so that the foe looms larger in our mind than our Almighty, all-powerful God. In all these situations and so much more, our mighty Lord protects our head and keeps us from losing the battle.
So, I pray this again. God, You hear my pleading, asking for Your grace and favor. Lord, You protect my head and mind in the day of battle. Amen!
