“So David left, fleeing from Saul, and went to King Achish of Gath. The king's officials said to Achish, ‘Isn’t this David, the king of his country? This is the man about whom the women sang, as they danced, 'Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands.' Their words made a deep impression on David, and he became very much afraid of King Achish. So whenever David was around them, he pretended to be insane and acted like a madman when they tried to restrain him; he would scribble on the city gates and let spit drool down his beard.” (1 Samuel 21:10-13)

“Nabal finally answered, ‘David? Who is he? I've never heard of him! The country is full of runaway slaves nowadays! I'm not going to take my bread and water, and the animals I have butchered for my sheepshearers, and give them to people who come from I don't know where!’ David's men went back to him and told him what Nabal had said. ‘Buckle on your swords!’ he ordered, and they all did. David also buckled on his sword and left with about four hundred of his men, leaving two hundred behind with the supplies.” (1 Samuel 25:10-13)

“…one of Saul’s relatives, Shimei son of Gera, came out to meet him, cursing him as he came. Shimei started throwing stones at David and his officials, even though David was surrounded by his men and his bodyguards. Shimei cursed him and said, ‘Get out! Get out! Murderer! Criminal! You took Saul’s kingdom, and now the LORD is punishing you for murdering so many of Saul’s family. The LORD has given the kingdom to your son Absalom, and you are ruined, you murderer!’… Abishai said to the king, ‘Your Majesty, why do you let this dog curse you? Let me go over there and cut off his head!’ ‘This is none of your business,’ the king said to Abishai and his brother Joab.’”

“So David and his men continued along the road. Shimei kept up with them, walking on the hillside; he was cursing and throwing stones and dirt at them as he went. The king and all his men were worn out when they reached the Jordan, and there they rested.” (2 Samuel 16:5-10,13-14)

“There is also Shimei son of Gera, from the town of Bahurim in Benjamin. He cursed me bitterly the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he met me at the Jordan River, I gave him my solemn promise in the name of the LORD that I would not have him killed. But you must not let him go unpunished. You know what to do, and you must see to it that he is put to death.” (1 Kings 2:8-9)

“A Song of David”“You know my heart. You have come to me

at night; you have examined me completely and found no evil desire in me. I speak no evil, as others do; I have obeyed your command and have not followed paths of violence. I have always walked in your way and have never strayed from it.” (Psalm 17:3-5)

“Keep your promise, LORD, and forgive my sins, for they are many.” (Psalm 25:11)

Angry Psalms“The Lord laughs at wicked people,

because he knows they will soon be destroyed.” (Psalm 37:13)

“Tell them that as surely as I, the Sovereign LORD, am the living God, I do not enjoy seeing sinners die. I would rather see them stop sinning and live. Israel, stop the evil you are doing. Why do you want to die?” (Ezekiel 33:11)

“Deadly enemies surround me; they have no pity and speak proudly. They are around me now, wherever I turn, watching for a chance to pull me down. They are like lions, waiting for me, wanting to tear me to pieces. Come, LORD! Oppose my enemies and defeat them! Save me from the wicked by your sword; save me from those who in this life have all they want. Punish them with the sufferings you have stored up for them; may there be enough for their children and some left over for their children’s children!” (Psalms 17:9-14)

“Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy are those who pay you back for what you have done to us--- who take your babies and smash them against a rock.” (Psalms 137:8-9)

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living…” (2 Timothy 3:16)

“Break the teeth of these fierce lions, O God. May they disappear like water draining away; may they be crushed like weeds on a path. May they be like snails that dissolve into slime; may they be like a baby born dead that never sees the light. Before they know it, they are cut down like weeds; in his fierce anger God will blow them away while they are still living. The righteous will be glad when they see sinners punished; they will wade through the blood of the wicked. People will say, ‘The righteous are indeed rewarded; there is indeed a God who judges the world.’” (Psalms 58:6-11)

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.”

Psalm 139“LORD, you have examined me and you

know me. You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts. You see me, whether I am working or resting; you know all my actions. Even before I speak, you already know what I will say. You are all around me on every side; you protect me with your power. Your knowledge of me is too deep; it is beyond my understanding. Where could I go to escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence? If I went up to heaven, you would be there; if I lay down in the world of the dead, you would be there.” (Psalms 139:1-8 – GN)

“The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began. O God, how difficult I find your thoughts; how many of them there are! If I counted them, they would be more than the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

O God, how I wish you would kill the wicked! How I wish violent people would leave me alone! They say wicked things about you; they speak evil things against your name. O LORD, how I hate those who hate you! How I despise those who rebel against you! I hate them with a total hatred; I regard them as my enemies.”

“Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts. Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way.” (Psalms 139:16-24 – GN)

Psalm 77“I cry aloud to God; I cry aloud, and he hears me.

In times of trouble I pray to the Lord; all night long I lift my hands in prayer, but I cannot find comfort. When I think of God, I sigh; when I meditate, I feel discouraged. He keeps me awake all night; I am so worried that I cannot speak. I think of days gone by and remember years of long ago. I spend the night in deep thought; I meditate, and this is what I ask myself: ‘Will the Lord always reject us? Will he never again be pleased with us? Has he stopped loving us? Does his promise no longer stand? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has anger taken the place of his compassion?’ Then I said, ‘What hurts me most is this--- that God is no longer powerful.’

“I will remember your great deeds, LORD; I will recall the wonders you did in the past. I will think about all that you have done; I will meditate on all your mighty acts. Everything you do, O God, is holy. No god is as great as you. You are the God who works miracles; you showed your might among the nations. By your power you saved your people, the descendants of Jacob and of Joseph. When the waters saw you, O God, they were afraid, and the depths of the sea trembled. The clouds poured down rain; thunder crashed from the sky, and lightning flashed in all directions. The crash of your thunder rolled out, and flashes of lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. You walked through the waves; you crossed the deep sea, but your footprints could not be seen. You led your people like a shepherd, with Moses and Aaron in charge.” (Psalms 77:1-20 – GN)

“You are awesome…”

“Help the poor people…”

“Please help me with this and this and this…”

PrayerLuther “did not pass a day without

devoting three hours at least to prayer, and they were hours selected from those the most favorable to study….full of adoration, fear, and hope, as when one speaks to a friend.” D’Aubigne, b. 14, ch. 6

“According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, spinning such a wheel will haveMuch the same effect as orally reciting the prayers.”

How to talk to God“LORD, if I argued my case with you,

you would prove to be right. Yet I must question you about matters of justice. Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why do dishonest people succeed? You plant them, and they take root; they grow and bear fruit. They always speak well of you, yet they do not really care about you. But, LORD, you know me; you see what I do and how I love you.

[what’s on your mind Jeremiah?]

“Drag these evil people away like sheep to be butchered; guard them until it is time for them to be slaughtered. How long will our land be dry, and the grass in every field be withered? Animals and birds are dying because of the wickedness of our people, people who say, ‘God doesn’t see what we are doing.’

The LORD said, ‘Jeremiah, if you get tired racing against people, how can you race against horses? If you can’t even stand up in open country, how will you manage in the jungle by the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:1-5 – GN)

“Then I said, ‘LORD, you understand. Remember me and help me. Let me have revenge on those who persecute me. Do not be so patient with them that they succeed in killing me. Remember that it is for your sake that I am insulted...I did not spend my time with other people, laughing and having a good time. In obedience to your orders I stayed by myself and was filled with anger. Why do I keep on suffering? Why are my wounds incurable? Why won't they heal? Do you intend to disappoint me like a stream that goes dry in the summer?” (Jeremiah 15:15-18)

“To this the LORD replied, ‘If you return, I will take you back, and you will be my servant again. If instead of talking nonsense you proclaim a worthwhile message, you will be my prophet again. The people will come back to you, and you will not need to go to them.’” (Jeremiah 15:19)

Psalm 69“Save me, O God! The water is up to my

neck; I am sinking in deep mud, and there is no solid ground; I am out in deep water, and the waves are about to drown me. I am worn out from calling for help, and my throat is aching. I have strained my eyes, looking for your help. Those who hate me for no reason are more numerous than the hairs of my head.”

“This, however, was bound to happen so that what is written in the Law may come true: ‘They hated me for no reason at all.’” (John 15:25)

Psalm 69“My sins, O God, are not hidden from you; you know

how foolish I have been. Don’t let me bring shame on those who trust in you, Sovereign LORD Almighty! Don’t let me bring disgrace to those who worship you, O God of Israel! It is for your sake that I have been insulted and that I am covered with shame. I am like a stranger to my relatives, like a foreigner to my family. My devotion to your Temple burns in me like a fire; the insults which are hurled at you fall on me.”

“His disciples remembered that the scripture says, ‘My devotion to your house, O God, burns in me like a fire.’” (John 2:17 – GN)

“For Christ did not please himself. Instead, as the scripture says, ‘The insults which are hurled at you have fallen on me.’” (Romans 15:3 – GN)

Psalm 69“You know how I am insulted, how I

am disgraced and dishonored; you see all my enemies. Insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. I had hoped for sympathy, but there was none; for comfort, but I found none.”

Psalm 69“When I was hungry, they gave me poison;

when I was thirsty, they offered me vinegar.”

“They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall.” (Matthew 27:34)

“After this, when Jesus knew that everything had now been finished, he said, ‘I’m thirsty.’ He said this so that Scripture could finally be concluded. A jar filled with vinegar was there. So the soldiers put a sponge soaked in the vinegar on a hyssop stick and held it to his mouth.” (John 19:28,29)

Psalm 69“May their banquets cause their ruin; may

their sacred feasts cause their downfall. Strike them with blindness! Make their backs always weak! Pour out your anger on them; let your indignation overtake them. May their camps be left deserted; may no one be left alive in their tents. They persecute those whom you have punished; they talk about the sufferings of those you have wounded. Keep a record of all their sins; don’t let them have any part in your salvation. May their names be erased from the book of the living; may they not be included in the list of your people. But I am in pain and despair; lift me up, O God, and save me!” (Psalms 69:1-29 – GN)

“If only I had more faith…”

“I pray because the need flows out of me all the time – waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God – it changes me.” – CS Lewis

“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16 NLT)

“Daniel, don’t be afraid. God has heard your prayers ever since the first day you decided to humble yourself in order to rain understanding. I have come in answer to your prayer.” (Daniel 10:1,11-13)

“The angel prince of the kingdom of Persia* opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief angels, came to help me… Now I have to go back and fight the guardian angel of Persia. After that the guardian angel of Greece will appear. There is no one to help me except Michael, Israel’s guardian angel. He is responsible for helping and defending me” (Daniel 10:13,20; 11:1 – GN).

* ”spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia”