Praising The Lord When The Whole World Seems To Be Against You

Psalm 35 is defintely one of the most unrestrained and violent- sounding psalms I've read thus far. Saul, driven by the paranoia and the lies of his officers, was attempting to hunt down David, God's chosen king of Israel. Basically, everyone was after David's life...

Personally, I've never had a similar experience. But the nearest to it would be my time in the army.

Psalm 35 is an imprecatory psalm. Like psalm 5, an imprecatory psalm is one which the writer's description of God seems to be One who's hell bent and can't wait to lay his hands on sinners and to destroy them. To a skeptic, God may then be identified as a dirty bully. But do take caution, and realise that the enemies that are mentioned are 'rebels against the Lord'.

In this psalm, it is interesting to note that David ends each segment of it with thanksgiving to the Almighty (vv 9-10, 18, 27-28). I believe that's an attitude that all of us can adopt, to give thanks in the darkest moments in life, to let God be my first resource and not my last resort...

There are 3 things that the Lord promises, when we call upon Him in times of darkness...

1. Protection (vv 1-10)
Saul had sent armies to chase after David and he was only with a small entourage of companions. So if David was to be found, he would have definetely not been able to survive. But David recognises that he's God's chosen one, just like all of us are chosen by God to carried out His will. He asked for protection and although it wasn't mentioned in the psalm, David did become the king of Israel ultimately. So when we call upon God in times of vulnerability, He will provide protection. He will take hold of His buckler and shield and draw His spear (v9) to stand between evil and us, to defend us. I think it's a no-brainer on who shall emerge victorious! David recognised and proclaimed it in v10.

2. Remuneration
It is well known that David defeated Goliath and did a huge favour to Israel. Yet, Saul seemed to have forgotten about it and was blinded in his desire to see that his throne does not fall into the hands of someone who isn't in the family(v12). David had even treated his pursuers as his brothers and sacrificed his comforts for them in their times of need(vv12-14), and yet he was mocked and scoffed by those who received his care, during his hardest moments. God recognises the good deeds that David had done for his pursuers and Saul. David could have killed Saul but chose to spare him (1 Sam 24). Even though he was not honoured by men, but God was faithful to him and eventually installed him as king over Israel. This goes to show that regardless of the response we get, we should always be good to the people around us, for even if they do not recognise our efforts, the Lord sees from up above and will honour us for our deeds.

3. Vindication
David's defeat was already envisioned by his enemies(v21). But David did the unthinkable and chose to worship the Lord(vv27-28), because he is a man after God's heart and his cause was God's cause. In his prayer, David asked for the Lord to be magnified even among his enemies sou that they may in turn give praise unto Him.

I ain't got some noble story, but I remember the times in the office, when I was left alone in the office and everyone else had shrugged their responsibilities onto me. I was left to defend the fort on my own when others came into the office and demanded to know why things are not done, and I don't even know what are they talking about. My colleagues sneered at me whenever I made a mistake and they seem to take delight in my wounded pride. There were times it got really bad and I went up to my bunk to cry out to the Lord and often, I end up staining the bedsheet with my tears. Looking back, I thank God for pulling me through and vindicating me, and in return, blessing me with nice understudies and an understanding officer.

David is truly indeed worthy of a position in the Bible Hall of Fame, if there is one. His dependence on the Lord is evident in his words. His honesty in the presence of God is something that pleases Him. I believe that the Lord truly takes delight in us whenever we pour our heart to Him. Believe it or not but God thinks about us all the time!! (Ps 139:17-18) Even though He knows every single thought in our mind, our humility in presenting it to Him would be an indication of how keen we are in our relationship with Him. Don't you know how it feels like to like someone and be thinking about that person day and night? Yep! God feels like that about us too! Wouldn't it hurt God like how we are disappointed to find out (if ever) that the other party doesn't give a hoot about you?

I pray that I'll be like David, and in whatever I do, I commit to the Lord in prayer. And I shall praise Him in the moments when it is the hardest to do so!!

made possible by 'Be Worshipful, An OT Study of Psalms 1-89', by Warren W. Wiersbe