How Many are My Foes

-


Scripture: Psalm 3:1-8 (NIV)

1 Lord, how many are my foes!

How many rise up against me!

2 Many are saying of me,

“God will not deliver him.”

3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,

my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

4 I call out to the Lord,

and he answers me from his holy mountain.

5 I lie down and sleep;

I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

6 I will not fear though tens of thousands

assail me on every side.

7 Arise, Lord!

Deliver me, my God!

Strike all my enemies on the jaw;

break the teeth of the wicked.

8 From the Lord comes deliverance.

May your blessing be on your people.

 

Devotion:

            Now we consider Psalm 3. It is the first prayer for help contained in the psalms. This Psalm is linked by its superscription to David. It was thought to have been composed after David’s son Absolom chased him from Jerusalem (2 Samuel 15-18). The Psalm moves from cries of despair (v. 1) to bold proclamations of hope and deliverance. (v. 8) The psalmist says that the source of his hope for deliverance is in the Lord alone. He envisions the Lord fighting for him against his many foes.

            In verses one and two the psalmist reports that his enemies are taunting him saying that the Lord will not deliver him. It seems as if he has lost all hope in God to deliver him. He feels helpless to fight against them in his own strength. The writer is unable to extricate himself from the hands of his enemies. There is no trace of hope in these verses. From this situation the writer is trying to let the reader know that there is no hope without God for salvation.

            Verses three through eight highlight the only source for hope in dire situations. The LORD is called upon to rescue the writer of the psalm. God is called to be his shield, glory, and lifter of his head. Words that mean God is to be the psalmist’s protection, and restoration. The LORD is seen as a protector in times of trouble. The writer has nothing to fear even though his enemies have him surrounded. He can sleep peacefully regardless of his situation.

            In this psalm, the Christian can find hope. No matter how dim and depressing our circumstances God always provides a way of escape for us. We see this repeatedly in the scriptures. From the exodus story of the children of Israel escaping through the Red Sea from Pharaohs army to Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday, our God delights in helping us escape our trials. The well known saying that God helps those who help themselves should be rewritten to say God helps those who cannot help themselves. Pray this Psalm whenever you are facing impossible odds. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more