Psalms 7:6

⁶ Arise, Lord, in Your anger;

    rise up against the rage of my enemies.
    Awake, my God; decree justice.

This is such a powerful statement from David.  Especially if you’ve been subject to the deeds of evil people or an evil person.  Yes!!  Oh Lord Yes!!  Rise up in Your anger against them!! 

This is also a very Old Testament mindset, but we should be reminded that the Lord is the same God and He does not change.  David prayed for God to rise up in His anger, not David’s, against the rage of his enemies that were dealing with him unjustly.  David wisely knows that when God rises up to oppose his enemies, his enemies are doomed.  God’s justice is perfect.  God’s opposition to them will be perfect and there is no escape.

To say this, David is confident that he has not wronged his enemies.  If he has, he has just prayed for God to allow him to be trampled and overtaken by them.  David knows he sits on the side of God’s righteousness and his enemies oppose God’s righteousness or God Himself.

Jesus taught for us to Love our enemies and Pray for those who persecute you (Mt 5:44).  The spirit of the text being to pray for their salvation.  To pray that they will turn on one of the chances they get to choose to believe in God since God doesn’t will that as single person would perish in to the eternal flames of a very real Hell.

Is David praying differently than Jesus teaches?  David who had the Spirit of God within him is praying for God’s anger to rise up against the rage of his enemies. 

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. – Romans 12:17-19

Notice that David isn’t praying that he be allowed to destroy his enemies.  He is asking God to take His anger against them.  He is praying for God’s wrath upon them.  Paul teaches in Romans that the ungodly live at enmity against God (Rm 8:7-8).  That is, they are enemies of God.  David knows this and is praying for God to repay them.  David knows that God will deal with them perfectly.

²² Let their supper be bait in a trap that snaps shut;
May their best friends be trappers who’ll skin them alive.

²³ Make them become blind as bats,
Give them the shakes from morning to night.

²⁴ Let them know what you think of them,
Blast them with your red-hot anger. – Psalms 69:22-24

Do we want any less?  If people have hardened their heart against God and are intent on opposing Him everywhere they can to include intruding and demanding me to change my lifestyle – to take away my freedom to worship and live as well as I can according to the Word of God, then yes I want God’s anger to rise up against their rage, so they will meet Him face-to-face.  Perhaps then, they can decide if they want to oppose the living Lord forever or realize that that powerful God is reaching out to them even while He stands against them.

Either way, I want those who don’t know God to be presented with God.  I pray they will act justly and stop battling me, but if they won’t, I pray that the one true living God will rise up and stand against them, so they will know there is a God that is everywhere and who is all life and who loves His children.

It is important however to remind myself that God’s timeline isn’t mine.  I must rest in peace knowing God will save His children and confront their enemies.  He will deal justly with them perfectly.