Today’s reading was Psalm 3:
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
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.
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This is an interesting study in contrasts. David vacillates between clear consciousness and fear of his enemies, to a quiet trust in God. He seems to move between these two positions depending on what he focuses on.
My son Landon has a type of waking dream where he will giggle, then be very scared of something, and then he will see me (having come into his bedroom to see what all the noise is about) and relax into my arms. Just seeing me, and knowing that if I am there, then he is safe, is enough to calm him.
I think this is a parallel to what is happening in this Psalm (minus the giggling). David is very conscious of his fears, his many foes, those who think his time is up, the tens of thousands who are against him. But then he focuses on God, his shield, the one who lifts up his head, the one who answers, the one who will deal decisively with his enemies, and he relaxes and can sleep.
I don’t know what the nature of your opposition is today. Perhaps something external: an annoying coworker, a challenging relationship, disobedient children, financial trouble… or perhaps something internal: anxiety, depression or fear.
Focus on the Lord, your Deliverer. He will never leave you or forsake you. You are safe in his arms and you can be calm.
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(Note: I will be at a conference from Wednesday to Friday this week, so this will be the last blog entry until next Monday)