Psalm 138:7-8
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Early Christians had a widespread traditional practice of amulet making. They would commission their local community magician to write lines of Scripture (either with ink on papyrus or with a stylus on pressed metal sheets) and would carry the writing with them as protection against evil. Archaeologists have discovered hundreds of examples: there’s amulets against the evil of a busybody mother-in-law, against an enemy soldier met in battle, and against the unseen demons that cause malaria fever.
Texts like this Psalm were common choices for those amulets not just because they have protection language in them, but because they tell God what to do. None of the “please let me be well” or “may we avoid the worst” supplications, but present-tense descriptions of what God does - “You preserve me against the wrath of my enemies” - and imperatives for God’s behavior - “Do not forsake the work of your hands”.
Next time you go into danger - whether to join a protest or to defend your graduate thesis - pray this Psalm and write its lines on a piece of paper. Fold it up into a small package and carry it with you: in your wallet, in your shoe, or punch a hole loop a string through it to wear around your neck. Rejoice knowing you are participating in a thousands-year-old tradition of cajoling God into action.
— Kate Davoli