Friday March 22
Overcoming Fear with Faith
Psalm 141:6-10 A Psalm of David.
6 Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the cliff, And they hear my words, for they are sweet.
7 Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave, As when one plows and breaks up the earth.
8 But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute.
9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, While I escape safely.
It is obvious that David, the writer of Psalm 141, is being attacked by ruthless and evil people. It almost goes without saying, that as followers of Jesus Christ we will be attack by our enemy whenever we are determined to do the will of God and live a righteous and upright life like Noah or Job in an ungodly environment. Peter told us to be on guard because we have an adversary who goes about like a roaring lion. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
In this chapter we find at least five things that David did as he responded to these attacks. In verses 1-2, the first thing David does in his desperation is to seek the LORD. He prays and cries out to the LORD in his desperation. In verses 3-4, the second thing David did was he made the choice and determined to keep himself from sin. He was tempted to say and do things that he knew God would not be pleased with and he asked the LORD to “set a guard over his mouth”, and keep his heart from being inclined to do evil and “practicing wicked works with men who work iniquity…”.
In verse 5, the third thing David did was to accept God’s rebuke and counsel. David recognized that the LORD was involved in allowing this conflict or pain to come into his life. When we yield to God's will, the difficulties of life are tools that God uses to bring maturity to our lives. Often the Lord sends people to speak to us with a message of rebuke.
Now in verses 6-7, the fourth thing that David did was to let God judge his enemies. These two verses have puzzled translators and expositors, but the general message seems clear. David continued to pray for his enemies, and he saw a day coming when God would judge them and vindicate his own cause (Ps. 138:8; 140:12). Perhaps it is best to translate the verbs "Let the judges be thrown down... let them learn that my words were true... let them say, 'As one plows.... '" To throw people from a cliff was a terrible form of execution (2 Chron. 25:12; Luke 4:29), but David is no doubt speaking in metaphorical language as in verses 1-5. When God has judged the leaders, their followers will agree that David's words were correct, especially when they see the unburied bones of those leaders bleaching in the sun. We need to allow God to do the same for us!
Finally, in verses 8-10, the fifth thing David did in response to the attacks of his enemies was he was determined to keep going by faith. Fixing one's eyes on the invisible Lord means living by faith in His Word (Isa. 45:22; Heb. 12:1-2). God had anointed David to be king of Israel and nothing but David's own disobedience could frustrate that plan. God was David's refuge, and he was immortal until his work was done.
If David had worried about the traps and hidden snares the enemy had set, he would have been paralyzed with fear; but he committed himself to the Lord and walked safely through the battlefield. Four simple words declare his faith, "While I escape safely” (v. 10). This reminds us of our Lord's experience in the synagogue at Nazareth, when the people became angry at His message and tried to throw Him from a cliff, “Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way." (Luke 4:30).
Life goes on and there is work to do, so we must not allow tough situations to paralyze us but to energize us in trusting the Lord. Life's trials are not excuses for doing nothing; they are opportunities for claiming God's promises and experiencing His miraculous power. Satan obtained permission from God to attack Job’s family, his wealth, and his health. Yet Job responded, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). He went on to also say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).
May the LORD give us grace to keep our eyes on Jesus and have the patience and faith of Job and David! “But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord; In You I take refuge…” (v. 8).
God bless!
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