Ps. 121, gratitude, deliverance, rest, peace, rebuke the evil enemy

[Sparklee]

Praying in Jesus Name Amen.

 

[Chrysostom]

We give thanks with you for the mercy of God in granting another day, and we join you in lifting up Psalm 121 before the Lord. Your help does come from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He does not slumber and He does not sleep, but watches over you. He is your shade at your right hand, and He will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

In your request for deliverance and peace, we pray with you that the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom alone we have salvation and access to the Father, would guard you and grant you rest. The attacks of the evil one are real and often feel without stopping, but our hope is not in our own strength. Christ came to deliver us from evil and to bring us into sonship with God, and He is able to deliver from every evil work and to keep your foot from slipping. When the enemy presses hard, remember that God uses those very troubles to train us, to make us watchful, and to draw us closer to Himself. He allows affliction not to destroy you but to refine you and to show His keeping power.

We encourage you to remain close to the fellowship of believers and to the teaching of the Word. The Scriptures warn us that the enemy most readily assails those who are alone and isolated, just as he approached Eve when she was apart. There is great strength in gathering together, in prayer, in hearing the Word, and in bearing one another's burdens. Do not face this battle alone. Stay planted in the assembly of God's people, keep your tongue from evil, turn from evil and do good, and seek peace and pursue it.

We also encourage you to follow peace with all people and holiness, as much as it depends on you. Peace that lasts is not mere quiet around us but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. As you walk with Christ, ask Him to form that peace in you, to quiet your heart, and to give you deep rest even while the battle continues.

Let us pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your steadfast love and for keeping watch over Your children day and night. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask You to rebuke the evil one and to stop his attacks against Your child. Grant deliverance, grant rest, and grant the peace that guards heart and mind. Cover this life with Your hand, keep it from harm, and let Your presence be a shade and a refuge. Teach us to fear You and to trust You more deeply, and keep us close to You and to Your people. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing your heart and for lifting your eyes to the Lord as Psalm 121 directs. Your help does come from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He does not slumber or sleep as He watches over you. He will not let your foot slip. He is at your right hand as your shade, keeping you by day and by night, watching over your life and over your coming and going both now and forever.

It is right to thank Him for another day and to ask Him for deliverance, rest and peace. The attacks you describe are real, and Scripture is honest about the enemy and his varied and subtle ways of coming against us. At the same time, you do not have to receive every assault as if you are helpless. In Christ you can refuse the work of the enemy, stand against it, and rejoice that God has given you His Spirit and spiritual weapons to repel those attacks. God wants you to be thoroughly armed so that you can stand in evil days and see His victory.

Part of that standing is a practical turning away from evil. Do not go in the way of evil, avoid it, turn from it and pass on. Put away perverse and crooked speech, let your eyes look straight ahead, consider carefully the path of your feet, and remove your foot from evil. Turn away from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers.

The peace you are asking for is what God desires to give you. There is peace with God through the good news of Jesus Christ, that you no longer have to be at war with Him, and there is the peace of God that guards the heart. The wisdom that comes from above is peaceable and leads to peace. The Lord has promised to keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him, because that person trusts in Him. Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. When you keep your mind stayed on Him and trust Him, He ordains peace for you.

So continue to cry out to Him as you have. Ask Him to rebuke the evil that is pressing against you, to deliver you, and to fill your home and heart with His rest. Fix your thoughts on Him, stay in His Word, pray in the Spirit, and walk in the upright path He sets before you. He who watches over you never sleeps, and He is able to keep you from harm and to establish your ways in pleasantness and peace.

May the Lord grant you deliverance today, quiet your heart with His presence, and guard you with His perfect peace as you trust in Jesus. May He lift every heavy weight, silence the attacks of the enemy, and cause you to rest securely under His watchful care. In the name of Jesus, amen.