Do not be silent, O God of my praise.
For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues. (Psalm 109:1-2, NRSV)
Max walked up to me as I stood next to the altar. We had practiced letting go of resentments over those who had hurt us or hated us. Max said it was an interesting experience — in that way that indicated that “interesting” was the kindest word he could muster — but he had a problem. He could not think of anyone who hated him.
Sometimes the Psalms are hard for me to pray the same way that exercise was hard for Max. The Psalmist is to aware of his enemies. He knows who has it in for him. He could name names if asked.
I’m good a being inoffensive and nice. I know a few people who don’t particularly like me, but I don’t know any that I feel hatred or even malice from. This used to make it hard to pray the Psalms.
Then I remembered that we all have an accuser ready to accuse us where we are least able to ignore it. I have an accuser. The names all make most grad school educated mainline Protestants nervous – the devil, Satan, Lucifer, Lord of Flies.
He is there always speaking lies into our ears and our hearts. With a deceitful mouth and a lying tongue, the accuser tells us we have no place in the kingdom. We are fools to hope for so much. We are fools to believe any of the good news is true.
And here, the prayer of the Psalmist comforts me.
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD;
I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
For he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
(Psalm 109: 30-31, NRSV)
Amen.
I am a part-time local pastor serving 
The doctrine of original sin is surely more humbling to man than the opposite: And I know not what honour we can pay to God, if we think man came out of His hands in the condition wherein he is now.
That is a valuable insight. I never even came close to thinking of it that way.
Of course you realize that believing that the Devil actually exists may make you a few enemies, don’t you?
Grace and Peace
We – the Chaplains – were talking this morning how it’s perfectly acceptable for a Schizophrenic person to refer to “the voices in my head” but it’s not acceptable to use the term “demons”. Demons, apparently, are crazier than disembodied, non-voluntary voices.
I also remember trying to do Ignatius’ “Two Standards Exercise” – which involves trying to recognize when one is being tempted by Satan – with a bunch of would-be British Methodist ministers. About half the people declared that it was impossible for them to engage in the exercise because they didn’t believe in Satan.