1Do not keep silent, O God of my praise! 2For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful have opened against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. 3They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause. 4In return for my love they are my accusers, But I give myself to prayer.[1] (Psalms 109:1-4)
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e live in a world where people will hate you for no just cause…many will gossip against you, cut you into pieces with their tongues even when you have done nothing wrong… others will accuse you again and again seeking to see your downfall.
The Psalmist was experiencing this when he wrote this Psalm. Notice what he says…the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful have opened against me (verse 2). There are wicked people all around. They will try to use their mouth to bring you down…there are deceitful people… wolves in sheep clothing…who go around, deceiving many with their lies to turn against you. These people, the Psalmist says will speak against you with lying tongue…they will surround you with words of hatred and will fight you without cause. This is not strange and should be no news to the child of God.
Jesus was hated by those He came to die for (Psa. 35:19; John 15:25). That is why He said…You will be hated by all men for my sake (Matt. 10:22). Again He said…the world has hated them because they are not of the world (John 17:14). Know this!! You will be hated…People will speak evil against you…Some will even go to the extent of eliminating you. If you doubt me, ask Brother Daniel in the Bible.
The Bible says…
1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; 2 and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. 3 Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, abecause an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. 4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” 6 So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: “King Darius, live forever! 7 All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.[2]
Notice that …the governors and the satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel (Verse 4). When they found no fault in him, they decided to accuse him falsely (verse 6-7). Daniel was hated and falsely accused because of his love for God and his faithfulness to keep God’s Word. You and I will be persecuted for righteousness sake (Matt. 5:10) just like Daniel and our Lord Jesus.
What should we do when such things do happen to us? The very first instinct for every man will be to fight back. Many Christians have been deceived and dragged into the habit of trying to fight back by themselves. Listen to me and listen very well. You cannot fight your enemies by yourself. They are very powerful. If you dare, you will be defeated hands down. What then should you do when you are persecuted, falsely accused, lied against? Do exactly what the Psalmist did. In the midst of all the accusations, persecutions and lies, the Psalmist writes…BUT I GIVE MYSELF TO PRAYER (Psa. 109:4b NKJV). Yes, the Psalmist gave himself to prayer. Notice that he did not pray to any other god…he did not pray to his ancestors…he did not pray to any mortal man… HE PRAYED TO GOD ALMIGHTY. How do you know that, you may ask? Psalms 109:1 says…Do not keep silent, O God of my praise.
Daniel also prayed to God in the midst of all that was going on around him. When accused by his colleagues and subordinates, he turned to God in prayers and God did not fail him.
10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.[3]
Daniel was delivered from this conspiracy and false accusation by God.
22 My God sent His angel and ushut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”[4]
Never try to go after your enemies by yourself. You have no power to do that. Understand that your enemies are working under the influence of satan. And I bet you friend, you are no match to satan when alone. You need God! You cannot do anything on your own. But with God, you can do all things including putting your enemies and conspirators to shame.
Nehemiah was called by God to rebuild the broken walls of Jerusalem at one point in the history of Israel. When he began building as commanded by the Lord, he was faced by his enemies. Let’s read what the Bible says:
1But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. 2And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish – stones that are burned?” 3Now Tobiah the Ammonite was besides him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.”[5]
Nehemiah did not try to counter attack these guys by himself. As a covenant child, he knew where to turn to. Nehemiah turned to the Almighty God – The one who is able to shut the mouths of all our enemies once and for all. Nehemiah turned to God and prayed…
4Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! 5Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.[6]
Nehemiah turned to God because he knew that only God could effectively deal with his enemies. Notice that he prayed to God to take care of the enemy while he continued to do what God had called him to do. When his enemies conspired and attacked the second time, (Neh. 4: 7-8), Nehemiah went to God again in prayer (Neh. 4:9) – bringing God again into the matter because he knew only God was able to defeat all his enemies.
The Psalmist said,
…But I give myself to prayer.
Daniel gave himself to prayer when he was attacked by his enemies.
Nehemiah gave himself to prayer when he was attacked by his enemies.
You and I should not do anything different.
If we ever want to prevail against the conspirators, false accusers and all who speak and plot evil against us, we must follow the example of the psalmist, Daniel, Nehemiah and many others in the Bible. DO NOT TRY TO FIGHT BY YOURSELF. GIVE YOURSELF TO PRAYER. Turn to God in prayer and ask for His help…I will lift up my eyes to the hills – From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth (Psa. 121:1-2). Like the Psalmist, when you are overwhelmed by the assaults of your enemies, turn to the hills (the place of prayer). When you do, help will come from the Lord. And when the Lord is for you, no man can be against you.
Do this and prevail over all the attacks from your enemies.
Kingdom Blessings!!!!!!!
[1] Psalms 109:1-4 Emphasis added
[2] Daniel 6:1-9 NKJV (Emphasis Added)
[3] Daniel 6:10 NKJV (Emphasis Added)
[4] Daniel 6:22 NKJV
[5] Nehemiah 4:1-3 NKJV
[6] Nehemiah 4:4-5 NKJV
