One of the gifts of the psalms is that they give us permission to pray that which otherwise we might avoid saying. It seems somehow wrong to pray against our enemies or opposition until we discover through the psalms that God would prefer that we lay those thoughts before God and trust God to shape them in appropriate ways.
At various times all pastors have found themselves in conflict with others, sometimes members, sometimes society, sometimes officials in their denomination. Consider selections from Psalm 25 as a framework for your prayers at such a time.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. (You might even want to name those you are currently feeling to be enemies in your life.)
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
(Of course this may lead you to feeling embarrassed about being self-righteous, so the psalm continues.) Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. …Be mindful of youir mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your stadfast love remember me, for your goodness sake, O Lord!… Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
(In that spirit of humbleness, you still are offered the possibility of returning to your prayers about the opposition.) Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprighteness preserve me, for I wait for you.
(You may find the extreme language of such phrases as “violent hatred” to not fit. The psalms tend towards hyperbole at times to make sure that they set the boundaries and you can fit somewhere within their framework. You can either substitute less extreme language or recognize that at some level the harsh language may build a fence that includes you.)
I have also just chosen selections from the psalms this time. You can use the whole psalm but I think it is appropriate to sometimes just choose selections. The caution, of course, is not to avoid praying that which makes you uncomfortable. What you are seeking is to allow the psalms to deepen your prayer life and connect you with the one who can translate your rawest feelings into a redeemable life.
