Whose strength are you living in?

 Psalm 59:1–17 (ESV):  

1  Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; 

protect me from those who rise up against me; 

2  deliver me from those who work evil, 

and save me from bloodthirsty men. 

3  For behold, they lie in wait for my life; 

fierce men stir up strife against me. 

For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, 

4  for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. 

Awake, come to meet me, and see! 

5  You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel. 

Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; 

spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah 

6  Each evening they come back, 

howling like dogs 

and prowling about the city. 

7  There they are, bellowing with their mouths 

with swords in their lips— 

for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?” 

8  But you, O Lord, laugh at them; 

you hold all the nations in derision. 

9  O my Strength, I will watch for you, 

for you, O God, are my fortress. 

10  My God in his steadfast love will meet me; 

God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. 

11  Kill them not, lest my people forget; 

make them totter by your power and bring them down, 

O Lord, our shield! 

12  For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, 

let them be trapped in their pride. 

For the cursing and lies that they utter, 

13  consume them in wrath; 

consume them till they are no more, 

that they may know that God rules over Jacob 

to the ends of the earth. Selah 

14  Each evening they come back, 

howling like dogs 

and prowling about the city. 

15  They wander about for food 

and growl if they do not get their fill. 

16  But I will sing of your strength; 

I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. 

For you have been to me a fortress 

and a refuge in the day of my distress. 

17  O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, 

for you, O God, are my fortress, 

the God who shows me steadfast love. 

David acknowledges in this psalm that he has no power to protect himself or his family as he is surrounded by the enemy. They are like a pack of howling dogs surrounding him. Wherever he is, there they are lying in wait for him evening after evening. What chance does a lone man have against a pack of ’bellowing’ beasts that prowl around? How terrifying it must be to feel in such a position, to be surrounded by those desiring your demise with no chance of escape. To hear those howls and packs in the night, not knowing how near or far away they are, but hearing the bloodthirsty cries threatening death. What would you do; give up, try to hide, fight back, run away?

For David, this is happening night after night, so he cannot hide. The howling threats are heard constantly, yet why have these threats not been carried out? David has been in this situation for some time so he has had a chance to observe what is happening. He hasn’t reacted in a panic-stricken way, he hasn't run away, hidden or fought back, but has noticed what is happening and talks to God about it. He has looked on for long enough to realise that these people’s bark is worse than their bite. They are making a lot of threatening noise ‘bellowing’ about David’s demise in order to terrify, but they are not getting close enough to actually harm him. Therefore David does not take their bellows or howling seriously. In fact, he sees the funny side - what harm are the hungry dogs even if they growl and howl when they can’t get to him?! What problems are they really causing? They are just winding themselves up, getting hungrier, more frustrated and making a noise! David may be able to hear them and see their threatening behaviour, but he knows that he is safe. Why? 

Through this situation, no matter how natural it is to feel unsafe in the city at night with howling noises around him, David has seen that night after night he has been protected. He has encountered threats but come to no harm. He has been able to return home to sleep in safety, not because he has bodyguards but because God is his ‘fortress’. David has seen how God has been protecting him. Therefore he does not need to take the words, shouts or threats seriously because God is his strength and fortress. David is so confident, assured and safe that he knows that God is laughing at these enemies! (v8). 

When you feel attacked and surrounded by people wanting to bring you down, what is your response? Do you become terrified by their howling and their threatening behaviour? Or do you take time to consider, what power do they really have? People may say horrible things, restrict your privacy or  watch your movements, but what can they actually do to you? They may come against you and try to make life difficult for you, but they cannot ultimately change your life unless you let them. For, if you are one of God’s people, He is your strength and fortress, and He laughs at them, so you can too!

So, consider how you will handle the next situation where you feel got at, let down, surrounded and accused. Where is your hope and strength going to come from? Are you going to battle alone, hide in fear, run away or look to God as David did, and depend on Him to deliver you from the noisy dogs?

David, even though he was a warrior, a slayer of giants and a leader of an army, he had no power to fight these enemies.This is why David calls out to God, ‘O my Strength’. David acknowledges that all the strength, power and victories he has been through have come from God. David has no power or might in himself, it is God who has been the source of his strength. God defeated Goliath, the Philistines and countless other raiders and enemies, God just allowed David to be a part of it, and David allowed God to use him. So, in this current situation where David is surrounded and harassed, he knows God will once again be his strength and fortress. For he realises that the things he had previously overcome were because of God being his strength, and God hasn’t changed, just the situation has. God’s power never fails, never sleeps and never runs out. Your strength and power will though. 

So, what do you do when life gets difficult? Do you try to power through? Or do you involve God who is able to be your strength just as He was David’s? You don’t need to battle alone. The howling dogs are scary when you’re out at night by yourself. So don't try to deal with them by yourself, relying in your own strength. Instead of feeling harassed, scared and limited you can rest in the security of knowing God’s refuge and strength. Why rely on your own capabilities when you can have a strength that is so much more dependable and steadfast? A strength that has; defeated nations, created and sustained the world and brought salvation to all mankind. Surely this kind of strength can help in whatever situation you face!