6.20.16- Pray bothersome, persistent prayers to God.

Luke 18.
⁴ For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow bothers me, I will ^[b]give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will ^[c]wear me out.’” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge *said; ⁷ now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, ^[d]and will He delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find ^[e]faith on the earth?”

The Pharisee and the Publican

⁹ And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be ^[f]merciful to me, the sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Psalm 10

A Prayer for the Overthrow of the Wicked.

10 Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?
Why do You hide ^[a]Yourself in times of trouble?
² In pride the wicked ^[b]hotly pursue the afflicted;
^[c]Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

³ For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire,
And ^[d]the greedy man curses and spurns the Lord.
⁴ The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him.
All his ^[e]thoughts are, “There is no God.”

⁵ His ways ^[f]prosper at all times;
Your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.
⁶ He says to himself, “I will not be moved;
^[g]Throughout all generations I will not be in adversity.”
⁷ His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression;
Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.
⁸ He sits in the lurking places of the villages;
In the hiding places he kills the innocent;
His eyes ^[h]stealthily watch for the ^[i]unfortunate.
⁹ He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his ^[j]lair;
He lurks to catch the afflicted;
He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.
¹⁰ He ^[k]crouches, he ^[l]bows down,
And the ^[m]unfortunate fall ^[n]by his mighty ones.
¹¹ He says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”

¹² Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Your hand.
Do not forget the afflicted.
¹³ Why has the wicked spurned God?
He has said to himself, “You will not require it.”
¹⁴ You have seen it, for You have beheld mischief and vexation to ^[o]take it into Your hand.
The ^[p]unfortunate commits himself to You;
You have been the helper of the orphan.
¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,
^[q]Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

¹⁶ The Lord is King forever and ever;
Nations have perished from His land.
¹⁷ O Lord, You have heard the desire of the ^[r]humble;
You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear
¹⁸ To ^[s]vindicate the orphan and the oppressed,
So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.