Psalm 54 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 54 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might.
Verse 2Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
Verse 3For the insolent have risen against me, the ruthless seek my life; they do not set God before them. Selah
Verse 4But surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.
Verse 5He will repay my enemies for their evil. In your faithfulness, put an end to them.
Verse 6With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
Verse 7For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
Devotion
This is not a psalm to read when sad or troubled. It is not a psalm for those seeking the comfort of green pastures and still waters. It is a psalm of revenge: “repay my enemies for their evil. In your faithfulness, put an end to them.”
This psalm is for those who live in situations where reconciliation will take more than an apology. It is for people who live in places of real danger like domestic violence homes, unsafe neighborhoods and locations where speaking the truth is dangerous.
This psalm is the cry of one faced with imminent danger from which one cannot flee. It is the cry of many. It could be your cry. It could be the cry of someone near you. It is the cry of the powerless and this psalm is their prayer, their voice. This psalm is the prayer we pray for their deliverance.
Prayer
Most gracious God hear the cry of the powerless, those without voice and those without means. Hear their cry. Send deliverance. Amen.