Tuesday 13 December, 2016

1 O Lord, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. 2 So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!” Interlude 3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. 4 I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain. Interlude 5 I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. 6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side. 7 Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked! 8 Victory comes from you, O Lord. May you bless your people. Interlude

David is calling out to God in prayer/song for his help and protection. I love the way he reminds himself of who God is and of the truth as he does so. It’s not so much a desperate plea as a victorious hymn.

I love the chorus of Selah that intersects throughout the whole prayer. The definition of Selah is unclear but it is thought to be a musical direction that may mean either sing loudly or pause. Both of these meanings do a similar thing, they give more emphasis to the phrases that have gone before.

Most of us don’t face earthly armies and we are not surrounded by enemies but we do face:

Worry – He is our shield.

We can feel worthless or like failures – He is our glory

Selah -say it loudly or pause to reflect on the truth of it in your life

 

We can feel anxious – He is the lifter of our heads

Lonely – He hears us

Selah – say it loudly or pause to reflect on the truth of it in your life

 

We can feel trapped in our circumstances – He is the bringer of our salvation

We can feel forgotten  – He is our blessing

Selah -say it loudly or pause to reflect on the truth of it in your life

Thank you God that you hear us, that you save us, and that you bless us. Thank you that you protect us and that you lift our heads to see you. Thank you for making us glorious in you.

Written by Zoe Stewart