¹Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.
3 Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
4 Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
5 Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord chase them.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the Lord persecute them.
7 For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.
8 Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.
9 And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation.
10 All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?
11 False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
12 They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
14 I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.
15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not:
16 With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.
17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.
18 I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.
19 Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
20 For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land.
21 Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.
22 This thou hast seen, O Lord: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me.
23 Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me.
25 Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up.
26 Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me.
27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
28 And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.
Poor Forrest, who has to feel pulled by one parent or another. No child needs or wants that. I pray Emily will do what is best for Forrest no matter how much his father does not. That will not be easy to do, for her or the grandparents. How sad to make a child a pawn! God sees and knows and He hates it, of course. Many prayers for wisdom, grace and strength to you all!
Karen, I just read through yesterday’s prayer thread. Sometimes the prayer thread is all I can get to read. FWIW, my husband had a very abusive father for his first six years or so. He had an alcoholic, sometimes abusive step-father for the rest of his growing years. He has turned out to be a good father, husband and over-all person. Please tell Emily to not to not be discouraged. Too often we hear all the psychological statistics and assume we are machines. We put in A and B always happens. Human beings are so far from that. Forrest will have so many people who influence him along with all the prayers for him we pray. There is no reason to be discouraged. I also know many who others would have written off with their early home-lives. Yet, they turned out to be wonderful people.
Hey…statistically speaking I should have been an unwed, teenage, alcoholic/drug addict mother.
All it takes is one person at the right time. Her name is Ruth. 😉
Wandering Views 
Poor Forrest, who has to feel pulled by one parent or another. No child needs or wants that. I pray Emily will do what is best for Forrest no matter how much his father does not. That will not be easy to do, for her or the grandparents. How sad to make a child a pawn! God sees and knows and He hates it, of course. Many prayers for wisdom, grace and strength to you all!
LikeLike
Karen, I just read through yesterday’s prayer thread. Sometimes the prayer thread is all I can get to read. FWIW, my husband had a very abusive father for his first six years or so. He had an alcoholic, sometimes abusive step-father for the rest of his growing years. He has turned out to be a good father, husband and over-all person. Please tell Emily to not to not be discouraged. Too often we hear all the psychological statistics and assume we are machines. We put in A and B always happens. Human beings are so far from that. Forrest will have so many people who influence him along with all the prayers for him we pray. There is no reason to be discouraged. I also know many who others would have written off with their early home-lives. Yet, they turned out to be wonderful people.
LikeLike
Kathaleena – Thank you. I know that God can over-rule & overcome any statistics or tendencies or whatnot. I’m counting on that!
LikeLike
Hey…statistically speaking I should have been an unwed, teenage, alcoholic/drug addict mother.
All it takes is one person at the right time. Her name is Ruth. 😉
LikeLike
For me, it was a guy named Al Tolley. Al died a couple of years ago.
But it was not as serious for me as Kim describes.
LikeLike
Kathaleena, that is so true. Thank you.
LikeLike
That is what we are hoping and praying for.
LikeLike