Gospel Reflections 999: Our prayer is not to escape from the absurdity of the world

Psalm 120:2 ‘O Lord, deliver me from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.’

This is a heartfelt prayer in which David, facing the trials of ‘verbal abuse’ and ‘falsehood’, seeks salvation from God.

This verse shows how deeply painful ‘verbal attacks’—rather than physical assaults—can be to the soul.

Lips of deceit and a deceitful tongue refer not merely to lies, but also to slander, backbiting, false testimony, and cunning words designed to ensnare others.

It is thought that David was isolated by unjust accusations and misunderstandings from those around him, and was in deep mental anguish.

The cry, ‘Deliver me’, seeks help from God, the sole Judge, amidst a sense of powerlessness—unable to defend himself or prove his innocence by his own strength.

It is characterised by an attitude of seeking God’s intervention rather than asserting one’s own righteousness.

Psalms 120 to 134 are the ‘Songs of Ascent’, sung when making a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.

These first 120 psalms symbolise an escape from ‘the everyday world filled with falsehood and hostility’.

The journey in search of God’s peace begins with a prayer seeking deliverance from the world’s malice.

We live in an absurd world affected by sin.

Our prayer is not to escape from that absurd world, but to be granted the faith that God is with us and will help us, even whilst we remain in that absurd world.

The cry for deliverance is the pure and legitimate cry of our weak hearts, asking God to protect our thoughts and emotions that have become assimilated into this world.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.