Prayer for Deliverance from Evil

Psalms 140:1-13
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men,
2 Who plan evil things in their hearts;
They continually gather together for war.

3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;
The poison of asps is under their lips.

Selah

4 Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who have purposed to make my steps stumble.

5 The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set traps for me.

Selah

6 I said to the LORD: "You are my God;
Hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD.

7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of battle.

8 Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
Do not further his wicked scheme,
Lest they be exalted.

Selah

9 "As for the head of those who surround me,
Let the evil of their lips cover them;

10 Let burning coals fall upon them;
Let them be cast into the fire,
Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.

11 Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;
Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him."

12 I know that the LORD will maintain
The cause of the afflicted,
And justice for the poor.

13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;
The upright shall dwell in Your presence.

Such was the prayer of king David, God’s chosen and anointed man after His own heart, against doers of evil intent against him.  This imprecatory pleas was that the Lord would keep God’s people from the evil ones and their evil intent and acts, as Jesus prayed for our deliverance and we to Him for deliverance from them (John 17:15, Matthew 6:13).  There are violent and evil people who scheme to kill and destroy as their father the devil, who make plans both simple and elaborate to war against God’s chosen ones, so we do well to imitate that part of this prayer-song.  Yes, there are sharp poisonous tongues wagging against us because we have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:17).  Selah.  Stop and dwell on these things.  We pray as the psalmist in verse 6, that God hears our supplications, our entreaties for His favor, and for His protective shelter in the spiritual battles around and against us (Ephesians 6:12) according to His word and by His Spirit’s enabling power.  He alone is our strength and protection in these skirmishes and battles, for without Him we can do nothing to wage the good fight for the gospel (1 Timothy 6:12).  There is victory in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57)!  Therefore, we pray against the schemes of those set on evil against the Lord and we who are in Him, that He would frustrate their plans and burst the gourds of their unrighteous intents which they constantly scheme, that they would be humbled before Him.  Selah.  Dwell on these things in our prayers and reliance in the Lord.  Finally, the prayer sung here asks God to bring the schemes of the wicked down on their own heads instead of their victims.  Like burning coals poured on their heads, the prayer of David asked the Lord to take vengeance for divine justice against the workers of iniquity (Proverbs 10:29).  He prayed that the Lord would also stop the slanderous ones and that the violent would find evil hunting them down in return, which will happen at the final judgment, if not sooner, as God dispenses justice in His ways and according to His time.  The prayer on the other side asks for the poor and afflicted to find justice as He advocates for them, that the righteous in Him would give their due thanks and live before Him in peace and safety.  Such things we can pray for as well, for we know more than David knew at that time before Christ was revealed on the earth and the Mew Testament explained it to us, things longed to be seen so clearly before, which even angels yearned to know (1 Peter 1:12, Ephesians 3:9-10).  Therefore, in our own prayers for deliverance from evil we have strong confidence and a certain hope in Christ our Lord to deliver us from evil and the evil one.