Cover their faces with shame, LORD, so that they will seek your name. – Psalm 83:16

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 30, 2016): Psalm 83

Prosperity is not always a good thing. Often it hides the weak points in our lives. It is not when things are going well that we have the drive to make the changes that are necessary for our lives. It is when things begin to fall apart that changes are made. I wish it wasn’t that way. It would be better if we could make the life change needed before the diagnosis of high blood pressure, or the work changes before the warning from our boss about our job, but we just don’t seem to do that. Prosperity convinces us that change is not needed, even when, deep down, we might not be convinced that that is really true.

The high blood pressure story is now mine. For years, I have blissfully ignored some needed changes because my blood pressure has remained in the normal range. And then, suddenly, all of that changed. I have no idea why there has been a change or what the cause might be, but suddenly I am monitoring my salt and caffeine intake (and I have always loved my salt.) Now the time for change has come.

The Psalmist seems to want nothing less than the absolute destruction of Israel’s enemies. The imagery is strong. God, be the wind that blows them around helplessly like a tumbleweed and be the fire that utterly destroys; pursue them like a storm that will overtake and kill. God, destroy my enemy. Make it as if they never existed. And we have all been there. That prayer might be one of the most common prayers that we pray. We all know the pain of having someone not treat us the way that we feel that we should be treated. And, in that moment, there is nothing we would like more than for God to consume them and overtake them with destruction.

But then there is a pause. We have prayed the prayer, but if we are honest we have also been on the other side of the problem. We are the ones who have failed someone, or the ones who have attacked someone. Suddenly we are not the ones praying the prayer about someone else. We are the ones about whom someone else is praying the prayer. God consume and destroy them – meaning us. We try to ignore it or make excuses – but we know that we are wrong.

But here the prayer changes. No longer is the psalm about destruction. It is about conversion. God, give them so much trouble that they have nothing else that they can do but seek you. Give them the trouble necessary for them to want to find you - to make the changes necessary to be healthy once more. And while we have all prayed the first prayer about someone else, this is the prayer we need to pray over ourselves as well as our enemy. God give me the reason that I need to turn to you. 

That is a very difficult prayer to pray, but maybe one that we need to pray a little more often than we do.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 89