Surrounded by Enemies

Today's verse has a split concept.. and one thing speaks loud and clear, David's request.. 
Save Me, O My God
(A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.)




O Lord, how many are my foes!
2 Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul,
there is no salvation for him in God. 

We are all beset with enemies from time to time.. we see those around us as willing to destroy us. Sometimes we actually wage in battle. I know in my past I have been mired in the muck of battle and while it was hard fought it was never won. Why? Because I did not cry out to God to save me, I just wallowed in the muck. And without God's guidance.. that's all there is.. muck. 

3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill.

I think the worst thing we can do as Christians is think we can fix it ourselves.. we forget or don't acknowledge that without God's shield we are unprotected. Sure we might thrive for a while in the secular world but there will always come a time when our enemies come at us. If we do not cry out to God.. then eventually we will fall to those enemies..

5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

See, there are times when we have to rest, refresh.. take the time to regroup.. Spend it in prayer and God will protect us, nourish us and yes save us from our enemies.. No matter the crowds, no matter the numbers God can always overcome it to protect us.

7 Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people!  


I often forget how powerful such a simple message can be.. I am beset by enemies, be they my own demons or those around me wanting to tear me down.. the true battle comes from how I choose to fight those enemies.. Do I gather my personal strength and carry on. Putting one step ahead of another determined to do it on my own? Or do I relinquish my enemies to God and allow Him to stand before me, clearing the path? 

The amazing thing is, life is so much easier when we allow God to guide us and yet we fight that over and over and over again.. Choosing to go out on our own, doing it ourselves.. Why is that? What contrary little niggle to we have to our make up that says.. hey stupid, let's do it the hard way? 

Now, for just a moment I want to direct this same verse to our country.. Today is September 11, the 12th anniversary of the attack on our country.. how can this verse apply to our country??

 Today is September 11 an anniversary of the day our enemies came to us. Tried to take us down but as a nation we stood strong and refused to waver. And yet right this very minute our president has the entire issue of Syria on his plate. Another enemy, another country that wants to take us down? Or is Syria destroying itself? My point being that our country is often surrounded by enemies.. too many to count it seems. Even our friends can be swayed.. how can a nation survive? 

We must as a nation remember what we were founded on, the right to worship God.. and we must as a nation chose to do just that! Stand up for God and bow down to Him.. Ask Him to secure our safety, to protect us from our enemies and to allow us times to refresh, re-nourish and regain ourselves.. 

Honestly, there is no other way.. to allow the few to demand we step back from our faith, is destroying that very building block that created this great country.. 

Shauni

Again.. I am not a preacher or a learned woman.. just a woman who wants to study God's word and apply it to my life