For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.
Psalm 62:1 esv
King David is having a bad day. He appears to be under fire from his detractors, and this may even be one of those times where he is under attack from his own flesh and blood.
But David starts his prayer With perspective. He reminds himself that all things, including his rescue, come from God. He is giving himself permission to simply and silently wait for the God of his salvation.
Now none of us are kings, but we certainly have our detractors and enemies. Yes, it happens even in ministry where pastors need a thick skin (or even body armor) to make it through particular seasons. Unfortunately the reality is that some churches have their “Clergy Killers” who use unscrupulous methods to create issues and try to undermine or even unseat a pastor. (Thank you God that I am not in one of those seasons now!)
If you study your own life, I am sure you have stumbled across those who, for some odd or unknown reason, have taken a dislike to you. It can be devastating to discover that a person, maybe even a friend or a relative, is out there trying to undermine you. It hurts!
David helps us to deal with the hurt by developing some body armor by simply praying and waiting. He teaches us to seek perspective and put God where God needs to be, and place the detractors where they need to be. You see, God is bigger than them and it is easy to forget that when we are hurting.
I love verse 8 of this psalm as David “breaks the fourth wall” of his prayer by looking out at us and saying;
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
Sound advice!
So if you have somebody out there today who is just tweaking you for whatever reason (a co-worker, a guy at the gym, another mom at the preschool, etc), talk to God and ask him to remind you that he is your fortress, sheild, and body armor. The Lord is your salvation.
Oh, and then pray for the one who has decided that you are there enemy.
SEARCHING FOR 42 