What strategies can we use to pray against spiritual adversaries today? Setting the Scene: When Nations Plot Together Psalm 83 opens with a hostile coalition determined to “wipe out” God’s covenant people (v. 4). Verse 6 highlights some of the ring-leaders: “the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites”. Behind these physical armies stands a spiritual agenda of opposition to God’s purposes—exactly the kind of unseen battle Paul later describes (Ephesians 6:12). Reading the Text for Today’s Battle What do those ancient tents teach us about praying against spiritual adversaries now? Notice four key ideas threaded through Psalm 83 and echoed elsewhere: 1. Adversaries unite. 2. God’s covenant stands. 3. The battle is the Lord’s. 4. God’s glory is the goal. Strategy 1: Expose the Confederacy • The psalmist names each enemy. Specificity unmasks the threat. • In prayer today, identify the real forces behind opposition—deception, division, impurity, fear. Name them before God. • Supporting verse: 2 Corinthians 10:4-5—“The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world… we take captive every thought.” Strategy 2: Appeal to Covenant Promises • Asaph anchors his plea in God’s past faithfulness to Israel (Psalm 83:1). • We hold up New-Covenant promises: Jesus’ victory (Colossians 2:15) and the Spirit’s indwelling power (1 John 4:4). • Pray the promises aloud: “Lord, You said…” Strategy 3: Ask God to Confound Enemy Plans • “Make them like tumbleweed, my God, like chaff before the wind” (Psalm 83:13). • Imprecatory language seeks God’s justice, not personal revenge. • Practical phrasing: “Frustrate every scheme that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ.” • Parallel: Psalm 35:4—“May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame.” Strategy 4: Seek God’s Glory Above All • Endgame of the psalm: “That they may know that You alone… are Most High over all the earth” (Psalm 83:18). • Our motive in spiritual warfare is God’s fame, not merely our relief. • Matthew 6:13—“Deliver us from the evil one” flows from “Hallowed be Your name.” Strategy 5: Pray Corporately • Psalm 83 is a congregational lament—plural verbs throughout. • Gather with believers; agree in unified petition (Matthew 18:19-20). • Shared prayer creates a spiritual “phalanx,” mirroring Israel’s tribal alignment in battle. Strategy 6: Combine Prayer with Praise • The psalmist’s confidence in God’s supremacy fuels worship. • Praise disorients spiritual foes (2 Chronicles 20:22). • Alternate warfare declarations with doxology: “Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory.” Strategy 7: Stand in Christ’s Authority • Old Testament saints invoked the covenant Name; we pray in Jesus’ Name (John 14:13-14). • His cross disarmed rulers and authorities (Colossians 2:15); prayer enforces that victory. • Remind the adversary: “It is written…” (Luke 4:4). Putting It All Together When spiritual adversaries confederate, Psalm 83 models prayer that is: • Specific about the threat. • Rooted in God’s unbreakable covenant. • Bold in asking God to dismantle enemy strategies. • Aimed at magnifying the Lord’s renown. • Strengthened through corporate agreement, praise, and the authority of Christ. By praying this way, we echo Asaph’s cry and stand firm until every foe bows to the “Most High over all the earth.” |
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