That's what we have to remember and we have to remember something friends Prayer is vitally important Prayer is so important and and we have to understand that and and God answers prayer People ask me about the mechanics of prayer and God's sovereignty and man. I don't understand all that. I don't I All I know is God says pray, and men ought always to pray. And God says, and the Lord says when we pray in his name, when we ask any, he'll do it. And we've seen God answer specific prayers. So friends, be specific in your prayers. Now, it is adorable and cute when little children are learning to pray and they say, bless all the missionaries and let everybody come to Jesus. I mean, that's great. We're teaching God's desire is no one should perish, but. We need to be specific. Who do we want to see God pray? And pray for that person specifically. Who do we want God to heal? Pray for that person specifically. So let's keep that in mind here in a little while when we go to prayer. But open up your Bibles to Psalm 140. And we see here another Psalm of David, another Psalm addressed to the chief musician. And just like the previous Psalm 139 that we looked at a couple of weeks ago, we see it's brought to the attention of the chief musician, the music minister, if you will, of the tabernacle and the temple. And the human author is David. And as we go through this Psalm, you will understand that his life experience proves that he is the author. This is the cry of a hunted soul. a soul that has been hunted by people. And we know if we do a study in the life of David, I started just about a week ago, in my own personal devotions, I'm gonna read through 1st, 2nd Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, and do, of course, a study on the kings for my own advocation. And of course, in the beginning, it's about David. And David, the hero, of the nation of Israel becomes the hunted, you know, and so this definitely is a fitting psalm to prove his authorship. We have here a prayer for deliverance from enemies, and this psalm is closely associated with 139, as seen in David asking God, look at the end of 139, search me, try me, lead me, and he picks up right in 140, you know, deliver me, keep me. So these Psalms are closely associated. In verse two, the word imagine, which imagine mischiefs in their heart. That word means to fabricate or plan. So we could see that the enemies of David fabricate plans to try to get them. They lay awake at night. In verse 5, jinns, the proud have laid a snare for me and cords, they have spread a net by the wayside, they have set jinns for me. This word literally means a noose. You ever see the cartoons where someone walks along and they step into this thing and it pulls and the branch goes up and they're hanging upside down? Kind of what this means, okay? They would use it to hunt animals in those days. And it is, David is using that imagery as a metaphor. As the hunter seeks to get the prey, well, people are setting traps for me, okay? And so it means a noose there. The outline of the psalm, verses 1 to 3, David prays for deliverance from sharp tongues, verses 4 and 5. Keeping from hidden traps, verses 6 to 8. Covering in the day of battle, verses 9 to 10. to 11 evil speakers, and then David realizes in verses 12 to 13 that there will be certain deliverance. So let's see what the psalm has to say, verses one to three. It says, deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man. Preserve me from the violent man. which imagine mischiefs in their heart. Continually are they gathered together for war. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent's adder. Poison is under their lips. Selah. So in this first stanza, David is in distress because of the wicked men who purpose evil in their hearts. They are ready for war. They sharpen their tongues like a serpent. And they have the poison of adders under their lips. The word adder here is the Hebrew word for asps. And in particular, they think it's like the Egyptian cobra. You ever see the, you know, the cobras coiled in the people, you know, what is that called? Charmers. Thank you. Snake charmers. All right. Thank you, Christy. The memory is not working. But, you know, and I don't know if you've ever been to, I hate all things snakes. I don't care if it's not, I don't care. I hate snakes. And I get that fear from my father. And I just don't like them. But I remember one time going to this place, I think Sandy and I went to Bush Gardens down in Tampa, and they took the snake and they milk it. You ever see them do that? And those sharp fangs, that's the imagery here. Their words are like that. Their weapons are their words. They're ready to strike at any time, just like that coiled cobra. And David prays to the Lord for deliverance from these. And friends, can we see even today how the enemy uses you know, their words against us, you know? I mean, think about the video, the short video we saw, how God's word was being spoken, and then have another congressman stand up and say, we don't care about God, God's will in this Congress. Sad, you know, but they use their words against us. Hate speech. you know, is what they're going to be using against us. Verses 4 and 5, the second stanza, keeping from hidden traps. Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked. Preserve me from the violent man who have purpose to overthrow my goings. The proud have hit a snare for me and cords. They have spread a net by the wayside. They have set jinns for me. So again, these hidden traps. So the wicked not only purpose evil in their hearts, they've also purpose to overthrow his steps. So they have hidden traps in the path of David. And you know, friends, I mean, we see this all the time politically, you know, where traps are set for an opponent. But you know, this happens spiritually as well. What did it say of Jesus over and over again in the Gospels? They sought to trap him in his words. Of course, Jesus was too smart for that, you know, but they sought to trap him in his words. So this is nothing new and it shouldn't surprise us when traps are set for us as God's children to try to get us to trip or fall or stumble or to get us maybe to say something that can be taken out of context. From such David prays to the Lord that he would help him and preserve him Notice how the enemy seeks to put things in our path to trip us up and get us to fall. Sometimes, friends, we walk through our Christian life oblivious to all of this. We have to understand that there's an enemy out there. And that enemy would love nothing more than to get you to trip and fall and make it public. Remember this. And this needs to be our prayer. that God would protect us from such an enemy. In the third stanza, verses six and eight, David prays for covering in the day of battle. I said unto the Lord, thou art my God. Hear the voice of my supplication, O Lord. O God, the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. You know, David was, of course, A man after God's own heart, he was a believer. He was also the king. And he was also a great warrior. And David was, of course, a king during a time when kings led their people to battle. And so David needed the protection. And sometimes David was protected by God through his mighty men. Sometimes God just protected him personally with his own hand. And again, God, friends, gives us his armor to protect us. We need to use that. So David has prayed to God, and this is what he says, Lord, you're my God. Hear the voice of my prayers. You're my strength. You're my salvation. You've covered my head in the battle. Lord, don't allow the enemy's wicked devices to triumph so that they can exalt themselves. Can't we see this, friends, in the halls of our own government? And we need to be praying against these things, seriously praying against these things. And be serious about this, that don't allow their wicked devices to triumph. Think of all the innocent that are murdered every day. And then think how our country even now is sending money to other countries to allow other countries to murder their unborn. This Equity Act, this Equality Act, friends, it's going to be trouble if it passes the Senate. It's going to be trouble to the church. But even if it doesn't pass, we have enough trouble and trouble's gonna come. So we need to pray against these things. We need to know what's going on out there so we can pray intelligently. Because remember, teach us to pray. God answers specific prayers. We need to pray. Need to pray for that. I told Sandy this week, I'm going to write that congressman from Florida, even though he's not my congressman, I'm going to write him and thank him for standing up and sharing God's word on the floor of Congress. Even though you were told you were out of order, you know, thank you for standing up. So let's pray specifically that these things, again, that these devices don't go through so the wicked can't exalt themselves. Look what we've done. Look how great we are. Fourth stanza, 9 to 11. As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. Let burning coals fall upon them. Let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits, that they rise not up again. Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth. Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him. So David goes even further and deeper in his prayer for deliverance and preservation. David not only prays that their devices would not be successful, but he prays that they will be turned back on them. David here prays so profoundly, David prays here for some profoundly serious action to be taken upon his enemies. Lord, put them in fiery pits covered with burning coals so deeply they can't get out. Do not let an evil speaker be established anywhere on the earth, is what he's praying. But let wickedness hunt and overtake the wicked man. David is praying that the traps they have set for him, let them be caught in them. Look at Psalm 55, 23. Can we pray like this? Good question. Psalm 55, 23. But thou, O God, shall bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in thee. Look at Matthew 26. Matthew 26, 52. This is after the servant is struck in the ear, and his ear is cut off by Peter. Jesus said unto him, put up again thy sword into its place, for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Look at Galatians 6. Here's the principle that applies to everybody, a biblical principle. Galatians 6, 7 and 8. Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And one more, Revelation 13, verse 10. Revelation 13 says, he that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity. He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. So can we pray like this? I mean, I don't think, friends, we can go out and do this. But we can definitely pray that God would turn their own devices that are meant for me on them. And aren't we beginning to see that? Governor Cuomo, who was praised for the way he handled the coronavirus, and wound up, because of some people in New York, wound up finding out that sending all those people back into the nursing homes actually increased. And now, sadly, he's also been found to be not the moral man that he's made himself out to be. You reap what you sow. And if this is the devices they are praying against me, pray, Lord, let them reap what they're sowing. We're not the ones who take the sword and kill the one with the sword. That's the Lord's doing. But I think we need to pray more serious against these people and that their own devices would come back to hunt them. and they would fall into their own traps. In the fifth and final stanza, verse 12 and 13, I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and the right of the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name. The upright shall dwell in thy presence. So David is confident of the answer, for he knows And he knows God and he knows that God will maintain the cause of the afflicted and will give justice to the needy. Surely, he says, surely, verse 13, surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name. David knows that God will answer and God will deliver. When the three Hebrew boys stepped into the fiery furnace, They surely knew God would deliver. One way or another, Nebuchadnezzar, we are done with you, one way or another. We're gonna be saved by fire or through the fire. God will deliver us. Surely, he says, the righteous will have occasion to praise God's name, and the upright will not be caught in any trap that has been set for them. but they shall dwell safely in the Lord's presence. David was keenly aware what was going on around him. You and I need to wake up and open our eyes and be keenly aware of what's going on around us, okay? And beware of these traps. And pray against these traps. And continue to proclaim truth. And God will deliver us somehow, some way. It might not be the way we desire, but God will deliver us. So as we go to prayer, let us pray that the enemy's words against us and the traps set for us will be used against them. Galatians 6, 7, and 8. Let us pray for the Lord's protection in the heat of the battle. Friends, put on the whole armor of God that ye may stand. It's a battle out there. We have to be serious about that and understand that. And finally, let us praise God, not only for hearing us, but assuredly answering our prayers. So let us pray tonight, today, let us pray that the enemy's words and traps will not be effective to us, but will be used against them. And let us pray for the Lord's protection in the heat of the battle. And let us praise God that he doesn't only hear us, but he delivers and answers us. And I have one more request I want everybody to write down. I want you to pray for Pastor James Coats, C-O-A-T-E-S, Pastor James Coats. He is the pastor of Grace Life Church in Alberta, Canada. Pray for the Grace Life Church. Pray for Pastor Coates. Pray for his wife and family. He is the man that is imprisoned for obeying the Bible.