Deliver Me From The Evil Man

¹“Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man; Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war.” (Psalms 140:1-2).

²Some of us have had the misfortune to fall into the hands of evil men and women and have needed the Lord to physically deliver us from their midst. But all of us have had evil thoughts, or imagined mischief or violence in our hearts. It may seem that we are simply stuck with those parts of ourselves that have a natural inclination to rebel against principles of truth and righteousness. We may feel that bad thoughts and doubts and fears and petty grievances and bitter hatreds are so deeply ingrained in our very souls that to pull them out would cause utter collapse. But it’s not true. We do not have to remain always at the mercy of the worse devils of our nature. The Lord can and He will deliver us from the evil man, even if that evil man or woman is ourselves. The Lord can and he will preserve all that is decent and kind and good in us from all of our violent tendencies and the corrosive nature of pride and enmity that may seem like a constant presence inside of us. This delivery is not a one-time event. Despite all of the promises that we make to ourselves and the Lord, the evil man will come back into our heart again and again. But when he does, the Lord can deliver us again. I know that even if it must come through fire and blood, with the Lord’s help we will eventually purge every last drop of evil from inside of us and somehow manage to keep it away for good. I look forward to that day for each of us and until then I trust that the Lord will preserve and deliver us again and again.