Delivered from Our Enemies

Lately I've been reading through the book of Psalms, and in it are some of my favorite verses telling of God's love and sovereignty.  There are also many Psalms in which the David cries out to God for protection against his enemies--those who wish to do him great harm.  "In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.  Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.  Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.  Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men." (Psalm 71:1-4)  To be honest, I had never really been able to identify very well with some of these Psalms, because I've never been in a place where I had enemies that were out to kill or even harm me.  I always thought of the "enemies" David refers to as entities such as Saul's army who was out to destroy him.

Recently, however, God opened my eyes to something I hadn't thought of.  There are millions of persecuted Christians around the world who face physical danger every day for their faith in Christ. How real must these Psalms be to them, and what comfort they must bring in times of trials.  The reality of God's promises come alive in this book, and we are reminded that though God doesn't promise physical safety, He promises us spiritual safety.  Though we might endure great hardship on earth, our eternal reward in heaven is secure.  Psalm 30:4-5 says, "Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name.  For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."  There is great hope in these verses that though we might suffer for the cross in this life, we will find joy with the Lord in heaven.  Praise God that there will be joy in the morning!  And what a joy it will be when we see the Lord face to face in Paradise.

I have also begun to see the "enemy" described in Psalms not just in terms of a physical person, but of the worst enemy of all: Satan himself.  When my perspective shifted to that thought, the Psalms came alive to me as never before, because I can definitely relate to being attacked by Satan.  The enemy of my soul has sought time and again to bring me captive to sin and fear, but by the grace of God I have been delivered.  "The Lord is my light and my salvation -- whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life -- of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)  Even when I feel like my whole world is caving in, I know that I'm still surrounded by God's presence.  He will always deliver us from our enemies, though it might not be in the way we expect or even want.  Sometimes we're delivered from pain and sometimes we're delivered through it.  Either way, I want to put my whole trust in the grace of God to sustain me and strengthen me when it seems as though the enemy is gaining ground.  I pray that the same would be true for you!

"I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." (Psalm 34:4)