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1Lord, HOW they are increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.
2Many are saying of me, There is no help for him in God. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
3But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
Psalm 3

"When it rains it pours" is how the old saying goes.

The scripture above has a sense of this saying weaved in it.

I'm sure you, as I have, experience this when you go through a difficult time in your life. It seems as if more problems heap on top of others.

But it's not just the problems that trouble us, it's also the voices inside your heart and mind that cause us to fear, lose hope and wonder if God hears our prayers.

I like what King David writes in verse 2. "Many are saying of me, There is no help for him in God. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! I suspect many of you hear the voices stating there is no help for you in God. I know I do. It's a lie the enemy of our soul wants to deeply set in hearts and mind. If we believe the lie, we lose hope and we don't even take the time to pray to our Father, who says He will never leave us nor forsake us. If we believe the lie, we stop ten feet before the finish line in this race we are running. Believing the lie will keep us from fighting the good fight of faith.

David knows this and what he says next is ingenious.
Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

Been there done that

Isaiah 59:19 - So [as the result of the Messiah’s intervention] they shall [reverently] fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight [for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives].

King David was no stranger to problems.

His father didn't consider him to be kingship material.
He fought lions and bears.
He was ridiculed by his brothers. He fought Goliath and killed him. He had been chased by King Saul to be killed.

Because of these times, he knew God would come through for him. So in the moment of all the pressure from his enemies and the propaganda spoken to him, he chose to be calm and to look deeply into the situation. David remembered all the times God intervened in his life to save him. He chose to look at the character of God and His ability to step into any situation he was facing and crush the enemy. David chose to seek out peace and not try to resolve the problem in his own power.

What would happen if we did this very thing in our moments of crisis?

What if we chose to stop and think calmly about the situation and the propaganda that is spoken to us?

Jesus said, Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous–with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!

When we pursue peace in the midst of the enemy flooding our mind with lies, discouragement and massive amounts of propaganda, the Lord steps into our situation and literally blows the enemy away with His breath. Read the last part of Isaiah 59:19: “…for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives.” It is an incomprehensible thought to think of the might of God. I emphasize: "which the breath of the Lord drives" because it hints to us that our God doesn't have to do much of anything to crush the enemy of our soul. His breath alone will stop the enemy. The same breath that gives us life destroys the enemy. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

The Father greatly desires to have a relationship with you and to strengthen you to do the work He has for you to do and to give you peace in your daily life. It will take grace, faith and peace to live the life He wants you to have. It will also take our participation.

1 Samuel 30:6 - David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

Often times you will have to encourage yourself in times of distress just as David did. Unfortunately, the word encourage is a weak word for this passage. The original word is having a much stronger definition.

The Strong’s Concordance defines it: A primitive root; to fasten upon; hence to seize, be strong (figuratively courageous, causatively strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify).

This is a very abbreviated list from Strong’s definition. I suggest you to study the word for yourself.

David had His previous experiences to remember but we have the Word of God. We can seize onto the Word of God and be strengthened in our faith. We have, as believers, the fullness of Christ in us. We have the Spirit of the living God that gives us strength and grace in our time of need. Because of Christ, we can go boldly before the throne of grace and ask for help. We can ask for wisdom and the Father freely gives it to us. We can be assured that the Father never leaves us nor forsakes us. And we, in the midst of tumultuous times, can have peace.

Philippians 4:6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. 7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

Merry Christmas!

Andy

"Today's Little Lift" from Jim Bullington

Mercy and not Sacrifice (Sept. 30, 2010)