Longing to BelongSample

Welcome to the most difficult verses in one of the most beautiful and uplifting Psalms in the Bible. Verses 19–22 of Psalm 139 don’t taste anything like verses 1–18. Nevertheless, God inspired all Scripture—even this passionate expression of loathing—to prepare and equip us for life. Like it or not, confronting the enemies of God is a part of life. 

Jesus taught us to love our enemies, and yet David, the author of Psalm 139, expresses total hatred for them in these verses. Confusing, right? We can justify David’s hatred in light of an important qualifier. Verse 20 says, “your enemies misuse your name,” and verse 22 says, “your enemies are my enemies.” David is expressing hatred for God’s enemies—not people. God’s enemies are evil spirits—not flesh and blood. Ephesians 6:12 describes them as evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, mighty powers in this dark world, and evil spirits in the heavenly places.

David was no stranger to evil spirits. He witnessed the effect they had on King Saul, and he came against them with an unlikely weapon: the music of his lyre. Up until now this psalm has poured out praise. David’s detour into a sharper-sounding weapon of warfare takes direct aim at evil. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, prepares and equips you to stage counterattacks on the enemy of your soul. 

Legions of demons under Satan’s command perpetrate attacks on ordinary people like you and me. They come after us through all manner of trials and temptations, striking our health, finances, relationships, and more. Sometimes demonic exploits are disguised as flesh-and-blood adversaries, but we must take these ground wars to the heavenly places. No matter the face of our enemy, we need to fight with spiritual weapons. 

You’re already in possession of the perfectly tooled weapon to defeat God’s enemies. Remember? Your tongue has power. Use it for good.

Declare this truth: 

I have enemies, but...

Pray this aloud:

Dear God, thank you for granting me authority to overcome the power of the enemy. Help me to remember that—because of Jesus’s sacrifice and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit—I can command your enemies to “Get out of my life!” just as David did. When I come under attack, I will worship you, the One who has already secured my victory. Amen.