“Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.” (v1-4,8-13)
David has a mastery of understatement – that or he’s secure in his faith in God. He’s captured by the Philistines at Gath (according to the Psalm title), which means he’s alone, and only God has his ear. Yet, despite the circumstances of “being trampled on all day long by his enemies” he asks the question “What can flesh do to me?”, implying that his physical enemies cannot crush his spirit, so this is a battle not of flesh and blood.
David also states that God “keeps count of his tossings and puts his tears in His bottle”, implying that God knows the extent of David’s restlessness and sorrow. Such a bittersweet picture – even when we lose sleep over our pain and suffering, God keeps track “in His book” because He is “for us”.
No offense to David, but I think Paul says it best when when talking about the spiritual trials in life: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (8:18,31-32,35,37-39)
Father God, we acknowledge Your absolute authority in spiritual matters. We know that apart from You we could neither understand or survive the battle that rages around us. Flesh cannot hurt us, nor can the evil one as long as we are under Your protection. May we never forget our Lord, may we never take our eyes from You, lest we begin sinking beneath the waves. Father, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil for You are with us. You prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies, Your goodness and mercy will be with us all the days of our lives, until we dwell with You in Your house forever. (Psa 23:4-6 par)
~ Conqueror in Training