Scripture Focus: Psalm 52.1-4
1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 You who practice deceit,
your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor.
3 You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
4 You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!
Psalm 53.1-3
1 The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
3 Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.
Psalm 54.1-5
1 Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.
3 Arrogant foes are attacking me;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
people without regard for God. l
4 Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
5 Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.
Reflection: Betrayal and Failure — Guided Prayer
By John Tillman
David has many failures and betrayals to look back on. He failed to please Saul. He failed to heal the king’s madness with prayer or musical ministry. He failed to protect his allies, who were slaughtered by Doeg. As a result, David and all those who support him are on the run.
David dealt with betrayal and failure by going to God in heartfelt, weeping, raging emotion. Behind the scenes of the historical record, the Psalms show what was going on in David’s heart. David’s roiling emotions, violent anger, and desires for revenge are all honestly laid before God.
All of us deal with betrayals and failure. We’ve been betrayed by leaders, by institutions, by our faith communities, by former heroes, and even by our friends or family. We wonder how long they can continue to boast, to harm others, to bluster on as if they are in the right…
God can handle our response to betrayal. Jesus was betrayed in greater, more public, and more painful ways than we can imagine. No matter how much pain you are in or how angry you are…you aren’t too angry to speak to God honestly, and you aren’t too far gone for him to give you comfort and to suffer in spirit with you.
Today we pray a prayer, combining passages from Psalms 52-54
Betrayal and Failure
Our culture favors the boastful.
(even when we claim not to)
But you do not, Lord.
Why do you boast all day long,
You who practice deceit,
You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!
May we respond to boasts with humility, to deceit with the truth, to evil with good, and to harm with healing words of comfort and love.
The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.
God looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.
Arrogant foes are attacking me;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
people without regard for God.
Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all who dwell in the world stand in awe of him. — Psalm 33.8
– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.
Today’s Readings
2 Kings 7 (Listen 3:55)
Psalms 52-54 (Listen 3:18)
Read more about An Officer and Four Leper Men
God does not call them “outcasts,” he calls them “my precious children.”
Read more about Responding to Political Violence
For Christians to fail to condemn, or worse, to directly endorse this type of violence is a great moral and theological failing.
