The Best Defense

Psalm 109:1-5
1 Be not silent, O God of my praise!
2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.
3 They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.
5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

I have read this psalm many times and for the first time a phrase stood out. In the midst of David pouring his heart out to God and before asking the Lord to take these people and fix their wagons, he says one thing: "but I give myself to prayer."

Why is this so important? Ask any man what he would do if he was in the same situation as David. The first response would more and likely not be prayer. Some it would be violence others would fight using the same methods that they were attacked with. Personally, I try to cut them off in any way I can to eliminate the attacks.

The important part here is that David devoted himself to prayer in this situation. And though he wanted some brutal vengeance - he asked for it by the Lord's hand, not his own.

Who is in control? Who is all powerful? Who is all knowing? Who do you belong to? Who should you go to in the midst of being attacked? The Lord God. And how do you approach Him? In prayer.