Psalm 59:9-13 - June 22, 2009

Ps 59:9-13 "O my Strength, I watch for you; you, O God, are my fortress, 10 my loving God. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me. 11 But do not kill them, O Lord our shield, or my people will forget. In your might make them wander about, and bring them down. 12 For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. For the curses and lies they utter, 13 consume them in wrath, consume them till they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob." NIV

David is surrounded by enemies and yet his eyes are on one thing! The servants of Saul are watching his house to capture and kill him if they can find him and his good intentions are being greeted with jealousy and envy yet in the midst of all of this he knows the source of his strength and his eyes are on one thing alone; the Lord his fortress. One of the powerful insights presented by David’s psalm is that regardless of these horrible circumstances David is still living with expectation before God. One common response to difficulty in the lives of those who have been serving the Lord is to yield to the temptation to give up and let go of any confidence that God will make a way where there does not seem to be one.
David could be despairing now with the potential of a terrible death awaiting him if he is caught by his oppressors and yet he is singing songs of joy. It is obvious from his response that he is finding great strength in the knowledge of the prophetic word that he has received from the prophet Saul. David is speaking in regard to his trials as if the outcome has already been decided and he is merely awaiting the final outcome. The word of the Lord has provided such an anchor to David that his prayers are a reflection of his assurance that God will not only deliver him but punish his adversaries and set them as an example of the fate of the wicked. David’s cry is filled with an expectation that God will win the day and that in the end the testimony of this trial will be one that exalts the power of God before all the earth. Each one of us should realize that God is at work on a level that is much bigger than the scope of our immediate needs. God is building for himself a testimony of power and might that will fill all of the earth.