1895) Living in a fallen world brings lots of challenges. One of them is that we have to deal with difficult people. These people might be in the workplace, our churches, at the doctor’s office, or at home. You know these people! The ones who make you cringe before you even interact with them. What do you do about these people and the trouble they help stir up within you? You read Psalm 109:2-5.  

Here David is dealing with these kinds of people, too. He says they are using their wicked and deceitful mouths against him. They speak about him with lying tongues. They encircle him with words of hate and attack him for no reason that he knows of. Sound familiar?  

What does David do? He tells us in verse four that he prays for them. He doesn’t dish back to these people what they give and/or gave him. He doesn’t seek out others to vent with and encourage them to take his side. He simply (or not so simply) prays for them.  

How does praying for these kinds of people help you? It gives you a safe place to vent because God is giving you his full attention. It gives God an opportunity to deal with the other people on your behalf and you gain the feeling of being heard (by faith) helps deescalate the situation. Praying about these people may not change the situation directly, but it changes you.  

I am often guilty for not taking this difficult pathway, but God tells us to pray for our enemies anyway. (Luke 6:27-36). Dare to try something that often doesn’t come naturally. After a while, it does.