Corona Devo 1176

Punched in the emotional gut.  Put in the corner.  Slumped in defeat and keenly aware of our limits and deficiencies as a sole individual in this wide world. 

Some days we are benched by things and beyond our reach.  Sidelined by somebodies.  A pity party is needful and not unwarranted sometimes and after some instances.

It can feel like it is us against the world.  (Is it?)

David was there.  He called out to God: humbled in his humility and almost crushed in his crux-of-life at that moment.  His prayer can be ours too if we need to pray it today:

Psalm 35

A psalm of David.

(1) O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.  Fight those who fight against me.
(2) Put on your armor, and take up your shield.  Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
(3) Lift up your spear and javelin against those who pursue me.  Let me hear you say, “I will give you victory!”
(4) Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me; turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
(5) Blow them away like chaff in the wind—a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
(6) Make their path dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
(7) I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.  I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
(8) So let sudden ruin come upon them!  Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!  Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

David wasn’t afraid to be real with God.  We can be too.  We get kicked and we get down.  There’s no shame in that, there is realism in that.  There is truth in that.  There is transparency is actually admitting that. 

David did.  We can too.

And (like David), we can trust that God is with us when we are numb, and that He will be there when we thaw.    

 

(9) Then I will rejoice in the Lord.  I will be glad because he rescues me.
(10) With every bone in my body I will praise him: “Lord, who can compare with you?  Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?  Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”  ~Psalm 35:9-10

 

Who else, but You, Lord?  When we are up against a wall, when we are crumpled in a heap, when the insults are hurled and the fists are unfurled…who else but You, our Almighty Father and our compassionate King?  Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? (Psalm 35:10).

Remember (and rejoice!) today, even if the accusations fly or the exclusions occur…we don’t stand alone, even if we feel alone.  Be glad because he rescues us (Psalm 35:9).  

 

That doesn’t mean the path will be primrose or that the haters will recede.  David knew that.  We know it all too well, too. 

 

(11) Malicious witnesses testify against me.  They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
(12) They repay me evil for good.  I am sick with despair.
(13) Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.  I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered.
(14) I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother.

(15) But they are glad now that I am in trouble; they gleefully join together against me.
I am attacked by people I don’t even know; they slander me constantly.

(16) They mock me and call me names; they snarl at me.

(17) How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?  Rescue me from their fierce attacks.  Protect my life from these lions!

 

And protect us God does.  The Bible is one weapon that He uses.  His Word surrounds us, stabilizes us, enables us and protects us.

 

God sees us today and He stands with us if we are standing with Him.  He protects us from life’s lions. 

 

And we thank Him for it.

 

(18) Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.  I will praise you before all the people.
(19) Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.  Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow…

(27) But give great joy to those who came to my defense.  Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord, who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”

(28) Then I will proclaim your justice, and I will praise you all day long.  ~Psalm 35:18-19, 27-28

~~~

Are we justified?  No, but our God loves us and sees our hearts.  He sees the hearts of all.  He sees our vulnerabilities and our brokenness and He meets us right there. 

We can sulk for a second when we’ve been sucker-punched, and we can call on His Name for support. 

David did.

But we needn’t sit in the prison that others seek to place us in.  God breaks us free with His liberating Word and the freedom of His Truth and forgiveness. 

Feel God’s comfort today…and then praise Him all day long for the peace and justice that He brought to David and that He also brings to us. 

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com