Have you ever felt like you just can’t catch a break? Like the whole world is against you? Like there is just too much wrong with life? Or like it is just too darn difficult to keep going?
We are all faced with difficult situations throughout life. There are times where we feel no one could possibly understand, and we cannot possibly make it through. David was no exception when he, a shepherd boy, was called upon to become king. His life was immediately put at incredible risk when God commanded he become king in place of Saul, who had become wicked and turned away from God.
‘ O Lord , how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.”
Psalms 3:1-2
David is given a mission he never asked for or expected, and it was a massive mission. I know I can definitely relate to that. The task in and of itself to be obedient to God’s will and commands is really challenging, especially when it comes with tasks our human nature doesn’t want any part of. We by nature want to do life our own way, but when God comes calling it is our job to listen no matter how hard it is.
Sometimes what God calls on us to do puts us right in the middle of chaos. When I made the decision to follow God’s will for my life I lost all my friends, and also a relationship with most of my family. I changed completely and with that my whole life and everything and everyone in it also changed. I felt at first like I was drowning. If following God and trusting Him is the right thing, why on earth did it feel like life was falling apart?
But you, O Lord , are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord , and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
Psalms 3:3-6
When we decide to trust God and put our faith in Him, that faith will be tested. The testing of our faith is done to strengthen and confirm our faith in Him. In Psalm 3, David was being hunted down because he chose to follow God’s will for him to become king. His prayer in Psalm 3 is an incredible example of what keeping our faith in the midst of chaos looks like.
He knew that even though he was in great danger, and that life would never be the same, he’d never have a simple shepherd life again, that God would help him along his path. David knew that God would make good on His promises, and that all David needed to do was trust God to guide and protect him.
Arise, O Lord ! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord ; your blessing be on your people!‘
Psalms 3:7-8
When you feel like you are consumed by darkness remember that God is always there. He is faithful to the faithful, and He will never lead you astray or abandon you. God will deliver you from your enemies of any kind. Have faith that God will bring you through, and that through the struggles, sacrifices, tough choices, and suffering you can grow closer to Him by faith and obedience. Lean on Him even more in times of depression, anxiety, loss, grief, pain, and loneliness. Don’t lose faith that He will deliver you.
‘ Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord , and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.’
Psalms 1:1-6
