This song full of prayer teaches a beautiful and useful lesson to all God’s children who have to suffer at the hands of other people, like corrupt and cruel governments. The temptation to let yourself be carried away by evil can be heavy. It is often easy and tempting to enlarge your own might and luxury by cruelty and corruption. That is not the way David wants to choose, neither is this way suitable for children of God. Let they persevere in patience, forbearance, well doing, and in particular prayer for themselves and even for their enemies.

The exhortations Paul gives in the New Testament match beautifully with this prayer of David. See Romans 12:14–21: Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse…Repay no evil for evil…never avenge yourselves…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.