Together in Christ: 'End the Evil of Those Who Are Wicked' — Psalm 7:1, 9-11

God's people — Israel over the years and Christians since Jesus was on earth — have faced fierce opposition, had property confiscated, been attacked, consistently persecuted, frequently imprisoned, and sometimes murdered. ^[1] Over the last week, our relationship thoughts have focused on how to behave when we are facing those kinds of hardships. Today's verses come from Psalm 7, a combination of a lament, a prayer for help, a declaration of faith in God, and a song of thanksgiving. As I read David's words and remember his life story from shepherd boy to king of Israel, my heart is strengthened. I know how powerfully God worked in David's life and the lives of many others. ^[2]

Underneath all of these things that David did in this psalm is one powerful truth that God's people need for times of hardship, opposition, persecution, and martyrdom: We can cry out to God openly, honestly, boldly, and without hesitation and know He cares for us and hears us. This is the truth I want us to focus on today. We can pray about our trials. We can pray about other believers' trials. We can intercede for persecution to stop and for evil to be defeated. We can forcefully ask God to overthrow the wicked and defend the righteous. We can know that God "is angry with the wicked every day." We can be assured that prayer is a great weapon for us in our battles against evil and Satan. ^[3] We can know that those who are martyred not only go straight to the throne room of heaven when they die but are also interceding for believers on earth who are facing persecution. Their prayers join with those on earth interceding for God's oppressed children on earth. ^[4]

Part of sharing in a world fellowship of believers means praying for our brothers and sisters facing persecution and evil hostility. We can pray for their safety, courage, deliverance, and boldness to clearly proclaim God's truth. ^[5] I know you, like me, hate evil and are repulsed by the violence done against godly people by evil people and governments. Together, we can be warriors for good. We can go to war against Satan, evil, and hell by praying for our brothers and sisters facing daily hostility and deadly peril. Please, let's pray together, knowing that when two or three of us agree, the Lord hears, cares, and acts powerfully ^[6]