Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!
Psalm 43:1
There are times when we pray like this since we live in a world of human interaction tainted by the thoughts, attitudes, and actions of selfish sinners. We pray this when ungodly people despise the righteousness God brings. We pray this when evil attempts to squelch the light of the gospel. We pray this when we send new missionaries to a difficult place. We pray this when our lives feel threatened in some way.
But sadly, this is sometimes what Christians must pray in dealings with one another within the church. Because even in the church we can have less than holy moments. Actually, we can have a lot of them. I know. Sin creeps in because we are all fighting it still. Selfish motivations can mark interactions among believers (mine are the first to suspect), and ugly, ungodly attitudes and actions become publically visible at times. The result, a church fight, is one of the worst things the world can witness. O God, keep Your church holy, men and women guided by the gospel, sensitive to the Spirit, caring for each other, in order to spare us from the pain brought by deceitful and unjust men!
Jesus anticipated that this could occur. That is why He taught His disciples to guard against the self-righteous “leaven” of the Pharisees who used religion for personal gain. He taught His disciples to reconcile quickly over issues and not to be afraid to render judgment in His name when unrepentant hearts make reconciliation impossible. He prayed for the unity of His followers to prevail. And if we obey our Lord, we can see His church delivered from the deceitful, the unjust, or the selfish desires of those out for themselves.
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