Psalm 83 paints a vivid picture of God’s people hemmed in on every side. The psalmist recalls Israel’s traditional enemies, not necessarily to point to one particular moment in history, but to show the overwhelming sense of being surrounded geographically and politically by hostile powers. These enemies were not small threats; they were superpowers of their day, and their desire was not just to harm Israel but to erase her completely, as verse 4 tells us, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more”.

In such a situation, escape seemed impossible. God’s people were pressed hard on all sides, and God Himself seemed silent. In desperation, the psalmist cried out，asking God to not keep silence, to not hold his peace or be still, but instead to rise up, to destroy them, to make them like dung for the ground, to make them like whiring dust, to scatter the enemies like chaff before the wind, to bring them low so that His glory might be revealed.

Many of us know what it feels like to be hemmed in, whether personally or as community, where we could have been misunderstood, unfairly attacked, pressed down by circumstances, or even persecuted for our faith. In such times, we may feel like God is absent or silent. Our instinct may be to demand immediate justice or even vengeance on our terms. Yet Psalm 83 reminds us of something deeper: the psalmist did not insist on his own timing or outcome. He entrusted the matter to God, the ultimate Judge. His desire was not merely for personal vindication, but that through God’s victory, even the enemies would come to recognise that He alone is God. Verse 18 tells us, “Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth” (v. 18).

This is a lesson in humility for us. When we submit our anger, our hurts, and our longing for justice into God’s hands, we acknowledge that His ways are higher than ours. We wait for His perfect time, and we pray that whatever God does, it will lead not only to our deliverance but also to His glory being revealed to the world.

Prayer:

Dear God, when we feel surrounded and hard-pressed on every side, help us not to give in to fear or bitterness. Teach us to bring our cries honestly before You, and to trust that You are still the righteous Judge who sees and knows all things. And as You act in Your perfect wisdom and timing, may Your name be lifted high and Your glory made known. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.