There’s something hidden and great inside these psalms of David that are filled with expressions like “Help, Lord!” and “My enemies rise against me!”. I know in my own humanity I’ve often brushed aside these passages as for “people who are at war, like David was”, or those whose lives are threatened physically.

This, albeit true, forfeits me a far greater reality, and that which I believe God has intended me to taste and understand about His character and purpose here on earth.

“O LORD, oppose those who oppose me.
Declare war on those who are attacking me.
Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
Lift up your spear and javelin
and block the way of my enemies.
Let me hear you say,
“I am your salvation!”" (vs.2-3)

I’m pondering on the reasons why I would typically skim through verses like these, where as I wouldn’t other psalms such as “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked…”. (psalm 1)

I think at the surface level it is because I do not feel oppressed by “war” and “those who are attacking me”. I don’t feel like I have people “waiting to eat me alive” (vs. 25), and “shouting profanities at me” (vs. 16). So, because I don’t feel like this really applies to me, I don’t pay too much in-depth attention to it.

Now, the obvious thing that I overlook here is that, WOW, I am missing something altogether! The devil and his minions are indeed here to “steal, kill, and destroy” and surely are waiting for me behind corners to bring me to ruin. So, I can then in some sort of cursory way look over the passages again and pray them as some sort of spiritual warfare exercise, but EVEN YET I think I have missed the point.

I think the point here is this: The deeper reason why I don’t (insert “we” as is appropriate) feel connected, if you will, to passages such as these, is because my DESIRE to see the Lord show Himself in such ways is altogether lacking!

And why? Let me examine. Let’s say something was happening and I was being attacked on all sides, enemies snarling at me, talking behind my back saying all sorts of horrible things about me. You know what I would think my “be-a-good-christian” response would be? It would be this - to simply gut it up, gird it up, be strong, and not let it seem to affect me, ESPECIALLY not in front of God!

For what if God were to see me as the man of weakness that I really am, afraid of my enemies, worried about their attacks, their arrows actually wounding my heart? Well, then, surely the Almighty God would look down upon me with arms crossed and say “You weak, pathetic soul! Get it together! C’mon already!” - to which I would, with a few yes sirs! along the way, get it together.

Now, this may be a bit exaggerated even in our response, but is there not a hint of this in your life as there is in mine? A hint of that which views God as “Christianity Coach” and me as “good young, and in need of much learning student”? And what I am saying is to the degree that this hint of “let me suck it up” is in us - to that same degree we are missing out on the REVELATION of the man Jesus as protector, defender, and “the Lord who fights for us”.

Because when we just “gird it up” and “be strong” in the name of “being a good christian”, we are missing golden oppurtunities to hear Jesus say “I AM YOUR SALVATION!” (vs.3) and see Him lifting up His spear and javelin!

David says “Then I will rejoice in the LORD. I will be glad because he rescues me.” I will be glad because He rescues me! Not because I feel strong in no need of rescue because im that mature already! Ha! Jesus says.

David says, “I will praise him from the bottom of my heart “LORD, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the weak and helpless from the strong? Who else protects the poor and needy from those who want to rob them?”(vs. 10)

This isn’t mere head knowledge for David,because He was unwilling to cry out to Jesus for even the sake of His pride, but this was powerful revelation from the Throne, words that still speak Holy Spirit Life unto our souls almost 3000 years later!

So lets realize that the situations that we are in,may be situations and circumstances sometimes sent not from the devil, but from the Lord Himself, that we would learn to call on His name like David did, and experience first hand the revelation of a Christ who rescues still today!

Hallelujah!