Judgement Or Revival
“When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.” (Psalm 9:3–6, ESV)
When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence.
Heavenly Father, sometimes it feels like enemies surround us. “Our sworn enemies—the devil, the world, and our own flesh—never stop attacking us” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 127). We can’t even remove ourselves completely from these enemies because our sinful nature follows us wherever we go.
Father, we feel overwhelmed because we recognize our own weakness. We understand that “By ourselves we are too weak to hold our own even for a moment…” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 127). We are not strong enough to resist our enemies. We can’t push them back.
Yet, Father, you are strong enough. Our enemies flee and stumble at your presence. They run away in fear when they see your face. Yet, you don’t let them get away. The world, the flesh, and the devil will all perish as they flee from your presence.
This is why you’ve told us to pray, “Deliver us from the evil one.” So, Father, please deliver us from these enemies. Please, “uphold us and make us strong with the strength of your Holy Spirit, so that we may not go down in defeat in this spiritual struggle, but may firmly resist our enemies until we finally win the complete victory” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 127).
For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.
Father, you are a righteous judge. You sit on your throne and rightly judge the things placed before you. You are not deceived. You will not call good evil. You will not call evil good. You will make righteous judgements in heaven and on earth.
Father, I trust you in this. I trust that you will bring righteous judgements against those things that are truly evil. I trust that you will uphold those things that are truly right and good.
Right now, Father, as I look at the world around me, I don’t always feel that way. I see wicked people prospering and I see righteous people suffering. I see just causes failing and I see unjust causes gaining ground. Yet, Father, I will not fall into despair because I know you are a just judge. I know these injustices will not last forever. One day, each one of us will stand before your throne in judgement. At that time the wicked will receive judgement and the righteous will receive eternal life.
You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.
Father, even as I wait for your final judgement at the end of history, I know you won’t allow evil to go unchecked. For a time, it may seem like wickedness is flourishing, but you will not allow it to last forever. Like the Amorites (Genesis 15:16), you are waiting to bring judgement until their iniquity is complete. Babylon wasn’t given free rein to trample your decrees. Rome’s power and injustice didn’t last forever. Eventually, Father, you stepped in and brought these nations to an end.
Father, I pray that we would take heed. I pray our nation would turn to You in repentance. We have two paths placed before us. We can continue rejecting You and face your judgement—blotted out, rooted out, and perished—OR we can repent, receive forgiveness, and walk in the way of everlasting life. The two paths are Judgement or Revival.
Father, I pray for revival. May your Kingdom spread through our nation like leaven through a batch of dough (Matthew 13:33). May our country be filled with the knowledge of Your glory as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). May You Kingdom come, and Your will be done. Amen.