A psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom.
I
How many are my foes, Lord!
How many rise against me!
How many say of me,
“There is no salvation for him in God.”
But you, Lord, are a shield around me;
my glory, you keep my head high.
II
With my own voice I will call out to the Lord,
and he will answer me from his holy mountain.
I lie down and I fall asleep,
[and] I will wake up, for the Lord sustains me.
I do not fear, then, thousands of people
arrayed against me on every side.
III
Arise, Lord! Save me, my God!
For you strike the cheekbone of all my foes;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
Salvation is from the Lord!
May your blessing be upon your people!
(Psalms 3:1-9)
In this Psalm we seem to hear that inner conflict that must be common among the faithful. There is constant faith in God, but he still struggles to deal with the criticism and threats of his enemies. I suppose that just about sums up the human experience.
We have faith in God, and we sing God’s praises: “Salvation is from the Lord!” At the same time, even while we know that God will protect us, “you, Lord, are a shield around me;” it is so difficult to ignore the people who are against us in this world.
Can you relate to this dichotomy? I want to put full trust in God and surrender completely, but I have an awfully hard time blocking out the critics and naysayers around me. It is so easy to get caught up in the negativity of other people.
How often do I let the anger or sadness of others lead me to a negative place? Can I, instead, learn to be the positive influence they need in those moments? Maybe that is the lesson of this Psalm. Let us continue to pray, along with the psalmist, for God to stay with us. “May your blessing be upon your people!”