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Pray:
Ask God to orient or reorient you to himself. Confess any known sin. Thank him for his forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and his sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s word. Pray for others in your life that they too would know and love God today.
Read:
Psalm 35:1-3
1 Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. 2 Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid. 3 Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, “I am your salvation.”
Understand:
This Psalm is known as an individual lament. We don’t know for sure what the trouble is or who the perpetrators are. But we do know they we’re once friends and now they’ve turned on David. They have become an enemy to David.
David is crying out to God with great emotion and urgency! We see an outpouring of his heart in a time of great trouble. David is facing accusations from those who have the means to hurt him.
David finds himself under attack by those who professed to be his friends, but instead they’ve turned out to be his cruel adversaries. Imagine David’s shock, he’s completely taken off guard all he knows to do is to appeal to God to intervene and seeks a word of assurance.
David casts his burden on the Lord and asks him to represent him. He likens the Lord to a warrior who contends on behalf of his own. The shield, the javelin, and spear symbolize David’s belief in God’s readiness to defend his own.
David needs to hear those reassuring words from God, “I am your salvation.”
Apply:
At different times of our lives we will all run into an enemy. An enemy could be a coworker who is undermining your efforts; it could be a team mate who’s jealous of you. Maybe it’s a family member who all of a sudden turns on you.
So What do you do when you’re blindsided by a supposed friend?
What kind of emotions did you experience?
In the middle of David’s troubles, he needed to hear God’s promises; he needed God to say to him
“I am your salvation.”
When you find yourself in times of trouble, what does the truth of the Gospel mean to you?
How does it help you to make it through the difficulty?
Take a moment to remember God’s promises to you… Thank him for rescuing you!
Listen to Jesus say to you,
“I am your salvation!” Would you find your rest in him today; know that whatever troubles you’re going through, his grace is sufficient for you.
Live:
(Personalize this prayer for today, make it specific to the circumstances that face you.) Ask God to lead you through his Spirit as you go through your day. Ask him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell him “Yes” to his will today and ask him for his power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask him to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today. KEEP PRAYING THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY TODAY.