“Lord How Many Are My Foes”


 “Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”” Psalms 3:1-2 NIV


“How many are my foes”! Although David wrote this Psalm when he was fleeing from his son Absalom and his foes were likely those wanting to kill him, haven’t I ever felt this way? Have you? 
My foes may be different. My foes are the lies I hear whispered in my head, “there is no salvation for (you) in God”. My foes are doubts and fears that creep in and try to tell me “I’m wasting my time; there is no hope for you”. 
But notice how David reassured himself. “But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.” Psalms 3:3 NIV
My shield. A shield makes me think of something that protects from something or someone else. A shield in David’s day was likely a piece of armor. Something that would protect from the enemies arrows. In Ephesians 6:16, Paul talks about the Shield of Faith. I am to “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Notice the word “extinguish”. A definition of the word is, “to bring to an end : make an end of”. But I like some of the synonyms as well. “Quench”, “dowse”, or “snuff out”. We are not just deflecting satans arrows of lies, doubt or denial, but we are to “extinguish” them with the shield of faith! Our God is that shield! He is our protector against our many “foes”, we just have to use it! 
David also refers to God as “his glory”. What does he mean by this? Psalm 1 says we are blessed when our delight is in the Lord. Perhaps this is what David was thinking? He may be surrounded by his enemies but he took delight in his God. His confidence, his trust was in his God. 
So, what is it that you delight in? What is your “glory”? What or who do you turn to when things seem most dark? May we glory in God for who He is; may we remember His faithfulness, His protection, His promises. May we find our help in Him. 
David also refers to the Lord as the one who lifts his head. Who lifts you up when you’re feeling down? In what or where do you find encouragement? I love how David, in the midst of his anguish or troubles, reminded himself that God was the lifter of his head; that God was his shield; that God was his glory. How I pray I can learn the lesson David teaches through this Psalm, and when things seem most difficult or challenging look to God. And as this Psalm says, “But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.”

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