In the midst of anxiety, God is our fortress

In the midst of anxiety, God is our fortress

Sept. 24 – Psalm 59

To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when Saul ordered his house to be watched in order to kill him.   

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
    protect me from those who rise up against me….

3 Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, 4for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.

Rouse yourself, come to my help and see! 5You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah…

8 But you laugh at them, O Lord; you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget;
    make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter, 13 consume them in wrath;
    consume them until they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah…

16 But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress,
    the God who shows me steadfast love.

Again, I have selected verses from the longer psalm. This psalm has a backstory, for it is based on events which occurred before the events referred to in Psalms 54, 56, and 57. 

Psalm 59 comes from a time when Saul’s hatred for David was newly formed. David was living in Jerusalem; he was not yet on the run. Saul had David’s house watched, so that Saul’s soldiers could come to capture David and do away with him. (see the rest of the story in I Samuel 19)

David had enemies (vs. 1) – not just any enemies, these were powerful enemies (vs. 3). David knew that he was in serious trouble. David had done no wrong, he had been a dutiful soldier in Saul’s army. Saul’s jealousy was the source of the hatred. David could not make the situation right. All he could do was plead with God for God’s protection and help. God alone could bring the victory David hoped for – God alone would be David’s fortress against the enemy’s threats.

David does want the powerful enemies to be confronted by their wrongdoing. His desire is that the enemy will be caught in their own pride. Here is a theme that appears frequently in the psalms – pride is toxic to good decision making, pride gets in the way of living a godly life. Pride can trip people up, bringing down the powerful. David did not hope in himself and his ability – he came humbly to God for help; God who showed David steadfast love. 

Our hope as well is in God; not ourselves, not our ability. Our trust is in God who will be our fortress and our source of confidence. 

PRAYER:

In humility we come to you, O Lord, we have tried to face the difficulties and challenges of life on our own, and we have failed. In our anxiety and uncertainty, we turn to you, for you alone can save, you alone are our fortress, our hope. In Jesus Christ. Amen.