“Rescue me from my enemies, O God. Protect me from those who have come to destroy me. Rescue me from these criminals; save me from these murderers. They have set an ambush for me. Fierce enemies are out there waiting, Lord, though I have not sinned or offended them. I have done nothing wrong, yet they prepare to attack me. Wake up! See what is happening and help me! O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, wake up and punish those hostile nations. Show no mercy to wicked traitors. Interlude They come out at night, snarling like vicious dogs as they prowl the streets. Listen to the filth that comes from their mouths; their words cut like swords. “After all, who can hear us?” they sneer. But Lord, you laugh at them. You scoff at all the hostile nations. You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress. In his unfailing love, my God will stand with me. He will let me look down in triumph on all my enemies. Don’t kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons; stagger them with your power, and bring them to their knees, O Lord our shield. Because of the sinful things they say, because of the evil that is on their lips, let them be captured by their pride, their curses, and their lies. Destroy them in your anger! Wipe them out completely! Then the whole world will know that God reigns in Israel. Interlude My enemies come out at night, snarling like vicious dogs as they prowl the streets. They scavenge for food but go to sleep unsatisfied. But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.”
Psalms 59:1-17 NLT
When we are dealing with conflict, either real or imagined, there are only three places to turn. We can first turn into the problem. This is often considered the most mature thing. Dealing with our problems head on can be difficult but it also gets the best results and teaches us how to overcome things quicker. Unfortunately, there are always things that can’t be overcome because we are limited in capacity. It also assumes forces us to overpower the situation and this can be difficult if the conflict is equally aggressive. The second thing one can do is turn inward and be avoidant. This often leads to being overtaken and simply breeds insecurity and bitterness. David takes the best stance. He turns to God. The psalm shows us that he does this with self examination, and the history shows that he does this while running toward his destiny as king. He never truly hides, fights or retreats. He does fully vest in his communication with God. He steeps every step in prayer as a practice, imperfect as he is. Time shows that people who do this seem to be wise. They have the quality of being measured, devoted, and passionate, no matter the vast amounts of pressure they bear. David’s example should encourage us to constantly sing praises.
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