When A Psalm Is Full Of Talk About "My Enemies"
In the daily prayer lectionary I use, Psalm 56 is appointed for this morning. It's a prayer to God for relief from "my enemies" (v. 2, 9). I love Psalms like this! They remind me to take seriously the destructive force of "my enemies." My enemies encourage me to turn away from God. The liturgy for Holy Baptism in Evangelical Lutheran Worship describes them as "the powers of this world that rebel against God" and "the ways of sin that draw you from God." What are my enemies, those symptoms of my brokenness, my sin? Self-righteous anger is one, for me. When I'm self-centered, I become judgmental. (That's hard for me to resist. I'm a strong "J" on the Myers-Briggs.) Arrogance and impatience are two of my major enemies. How do I carry on the spiritual warfare against my enemies? With the practices of repentance, return to God, prayer. The Psalm writer concludes Psalm 56 by naming this: "My vows to you I mus