Keep me safe, LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
Protect me from the violent,
Who devise ways to trip my feet.
The arrogant have hidden a snare for me;
They have spread out the cords of their net
And have set traps for me along my path.
I say to the LORD, “You are my God.”
Hear, LORD, my cry for mercy.
Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer,
You shield my head in the day of battle.
Do not grant the wicked their desires, LORD;
Do not let their plans succeed.

David faced real threats as a young man and when he was king. His times included literal backstabbing, the slaughter of families, the burning of villages, and kidnapping of the vulnerable. Not safe at all!

In those times David was even more aware that the LORD was his Strong Deliverer. Hard times would come—David couldn’t avoid those and neither can we—but God was close in the hard times.

Christians understand that our battle is not against “flesh and blood.” People are for loving, not for hurting. We don’t pray for the demise of people, but we do pray for the demolishing of strongholds. There is a sinister force at work in our world who has, as a main objective, the harassing, harming, distracting, and discouraging of God’s people.

This day, pray for protection. Pray against the strategies of the evil one in your life and in our life together. “You shield my head in the day of battle.” Pray that God will not only protect your body but your mind also. Often our minds are the soil where the battle is either won or lost.

Praying with you this day.

Andrew