Psalm 3 "Salvation Belongs to the Lord"

Psalm 3:1, 7-8

¹O Lord, how many are my foes!
    Many are rising against me…
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! Selah

Comments:

[Continuing with my pattern of covering verses not previously discussed…]

Have you ever felt like David did? I have personally never experienced anything like the betrayal of his son Absalom or of people (including former trusted advisers) seeking to kill me, though many people around the world have experienced such senseless persecution. However, there have been moments when I have felt deeply wronged, and even times when I felt like there was perhaps an unjust conspiracy against me. But that does not vouch for the accuracy of my feelings. My feelings, though real, by nature are often are not objective. In David’s case they were spot on, in my case less so.  

David had a history of not striving to defend his own cause. He had several chances to kill King Saul, but, against the advice of his men, he would not raise his hand against “the Lord’s anointed” even after he himself had been anointed to take Saul’s place.

This weekend I have been out with the flu. And I realized that thousands of microscopic enemies have arisen against me. I have experienced a shocking inability to concentrate on anything but trying not to cough.

Like David—and innumerable others through the centuries—I cry out to God in my distress for he is my Savior! I am asking the Lord to metaphorically “strike those viruses on the cheek and break their teeth” to enable me to return to health and functionality. I know he is working in me through this.

I know that my current enemy is not really other people (flesh and blood) nor is it the germs/virus of my current challenge, but it is spiritual in nature. So while not failing to use interpersonal skills in my dealing with people and medicine, nutrition, and rest in my dealing with sickness, I put my trust in Jesus to be my deliverer—both from others and from myself. If “salvation belongs to the Lord” then why do we think we have to deliver ourselves, and treat others the worse for it?

One other thing that I find that I have to frequently re-learn is that the blessing of God upon his people often looks much different than I expect. I resolve to trust God in whatever way he leads. I want to walk in faith like Habakkuk, who, facing a situationally harsh future, concludes his writings,

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
 God, the Lord, is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the deer's;
    he makes me tread on my high places. (Hab. 3:17-19)

Are we willing for God’s blessing to be upon us, or will we demand what we think we deserve?