Psalm 144:12-15

Psalm 144:12-15
As I read this passage this morning, I found myself somewhat convicted by its last couple of sentences. David prays not just his own family, but the families of his nation—seen in his use of the word “our” instead of “my”—and he prays to God for their provision and abundance, something true kings do. I was especially struck by this prayer: “May there be no enemy breaking through our walls, no going into captivity.”

As a nation, we have been tremendously blessed. I don’t know that we’ve ever feared being taken into captivity, yet this was a constant threat in Israel and a matter of daily prayer. When was the last time we prayed that God would keep us from being taken captive?

However, there is a form of captivity we must pray against: the horrors of human trafficking. This issue has come to the forefront as we continue to hear reports of children being abducted—numbers that have been staggering year after year. Our present administration has made a point to find abducted children, many of whom have been sold into sexual slavery or worse. Hardly a week goes by without news of a sting operation busting sexual predators and recovering abducted children. That this even occurs in our country is a disgrace and deeply upsetting. The enemy targets the weakest and most vulnerable—exactly what predators do. It reminds me of the story of the snake: why do we expect a snake to be anything other than what it is?

And then there have been times when our walls were literally breached—most notably on 9/11. That day was a wake-up call to us all. We realized we were not as impregnable as we assumed, despite our military strength, when we learned the enemy was already within our walls.

We face similar threats today, as enemies of our country have taken advantage of the open-border policies of the previous administration. We now find ourselves victims of random attacks from within. “Sleeper cells” have been sent to study our vulnerabilities and exploit them. We must pray that God exposes those who seek to do us harm. Not everyone is our friend. Not everyone seeking asylum is telling the truth. Although there is much controversy about our current immigration policies, we have opened the door to our enemies, and now they live among us.

Consider the fact that the Roman Empire was not conquered from without, but rather from within—making it vulnerable to destruction from outside forces. We face a similar fate unless we take action.

It is the blessing of the Lord that makes a nation great, and it is the ravages of what some refuse to call sin that destroys it. America is very much at a crossroads, and we must re-examine our ways, for God will not bless a nation that turns its back on Him, no matter how great it once was. History has proven that God is not a respecter of persons. He does not play favorites and is perfectly just in His judgments.

Interestingly, I thought this reflection would go in a different direction, but as I pondered it, I realized that we too must pray against captivity.

Some are captives in their own countries. Captivity comes in many forms—whether through the horrors of human trafficking, the debilitating effects of substance abuse, or the oppression of a dictatorial government.

I find that I, like many others, have been guilty of not opening my eyes to see what is happening around us. A stealthy predator slips in undetected and works in the shadows while many of us remain unaware of his presence. We must pray that the devil’s work is exposed—that we see it for what it is—and pray for revival in our land. It is only under the blessing and favor of God that a nation flourishes, for Scripture says He can even make our enemies live at peace with us.

Not only should we pray for the peace of Israel, but we must also pray for our own peace. As David said, “Joyful are those who live like this; joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.”