Betrayal (Psalm 55:9-15)

⁹ Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
¹⁰ Day and night they prowl about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
¹¹ Destructive forces are at work in the city;
threats and lies never leave its streets.

¹² If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
¹³ But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,
¹⁴ with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
at the house of God,
as we walked about
among the worshipers.

¹⁵ Let death take my enemies by surprise;
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,
for evil finds lodging among them.

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 What struck me in today’s passage are the words about the betrayal of his close friend.  David is particularly pained because someone with whom he enjoyed not only friendship, but also the fellowship of worship.  Their common faith in God was part of what bound them in friendship.  But now this former friend is counted among the enemies of David.

My meditation on these verses led me to thinking about those whom I consider friends.  How is my friendship with them?  Have I been a good friend, a faithful friend?  I would hope that none would consider me to have betrayed them, but have I been as good of a friend as should be?

So my prayer this morning is for God’s grace that I may be a good friend to those who consider me to be their friend.  I pray that my friendship would be a blessing in their lives.

NOTE:

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