Mercy for the Guilty: Psalm 41-Supplication through the Scriptures

Mercy for the Guilty

Psalm 41

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Or the LORD will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him.
Proverbs 24:17-18 NASBS

How easy it is for our sinful hearts to rejoice when we see someone receiving what we believe is their due. When someone has wronged us, or we see them making foolish choices, in our bitterness and desire to feel justified, we can be quick to inwardly, and maybe even outwardly, smile or gloat over what has befallen them. 

But God calls us to something different. There is a proper time to rejoice in God’s perfect justice toward wickedness, but in today’s Psalm and prayer we’re going to focus on being merciful toward those who are suffering negative consequences because of their own foolishness. Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). 

Perhaps today it is someone you love that is suffering because of their own decisions or sinfulness. In those cases it may be far easier to pray for God’s mercy on their behalf, but even if we see our enemy suffering God desires us to not seek our own revenge, but rather “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). We are to overcome, prevail and have the victory, over our enemy by doing him good, not by rejoicing over his hurt, or being glad when he reaps what he has sown. It is displeasing to the Lord for us to rejoice when he stumbles or falls (Proverbs 24:17-18).

Our example in this is Christ Jesus Himself. He bore the wrath of God on our behalf in order that we, His enemies, would be reconciled to God and enjoy forgiveness, peace, and the abundant blessings that are ours in Christ. He showed mercy when we deserved none.

Let’s pray today for a heart of mercy for those who are suffering because of their own bad choices.

Blessed are the Merciful

41:1-3 Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health. 
Let’s pray:
▫️We would not rejoice when others suffer because of wrongdoing, but instead we would have a merciful heart, thoughts, and demeanor toward them in their suffering.
▫️When we act in mercy instead of vengeance, we would know the blessedness of walking with the Lord.
▫️We would desire their restoration to the Lord and God’s mercy to them in their distress.
▫️When we obey the Lord and act mercifully, we would receive His mercy and He would deliver us in the day of trouble, protect us, sustain us in our own sufferings, and restore our physical and spiritual vitality.

Grace Instead of Gloating 

41:4-10 As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!” My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish?” And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad. All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me. They say, “A deadly thing is poured out on him; he will not rise again from where he lies.” Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. But you, O Lord, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them! 
Let’s pray:
▫️We would desire their repentance and turning back to the Lord for His forgiveness when they have sinned, His wisdom when they have acted foolishly, His grace for their time of need. 
▫️We would not let any empty, vain, or corrupt word proceed from our mouths toward this person or about this person. Instead our mouths would be imparting grace to them and building them up (Ephesians 4:29).
▫️We would not gossip or slander this person who is suffering consequences of their actions. We would refrain from speaking about them unnecessarily.
▫️If it is an enemy who is suffering, we would not imagine and hope for the worst for them, and desire evil be brought upon them, but we would desire mercy and compassion on their behalf.
▫️If it is someone dear to us, a friend or family member, we would be faithful companions and not a hurtful friend.

Set in His Presence

41:11-13 By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.
Let’s pray:
▫️The Lord would delight in us as we follow His Word and display mercy toward guilty sufferers.
▫️We would trust God’s justice, leaving vengeance to Him, knowing that the Judge of all the earth will do what is right (Genesis 18:25) and our enemies will not triumph over us.
▫️We would walk in integrity and enjoy God’s presence.
▫️The Lord would uphold and support us while we are acting mercifully and trusting Him.
 
May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 41 quoted from the ESV.
Photo credit to pwign

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