One Thing We Can Know For Sure Today

When my girls were small, we used to listen to a CD of Bible verses put to music. One of my favorites was based on Psalm 56:4-5a—“When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise.”

The point of these songs, of course, is to give children a fun way to memorize scripture. But the added benefit for me, as the parent, was that I learned the verses too. Quite well, apparently, as I still sing the verse from Psalm 56 in my head when the cares and stresses of life start making it hard for me to breathe.

Like this past week, for instance.

The details are a story for another day. But when Psalm 56 was part of my scheduled reading on an especially wearisome day, I sat up and paid attention. To the whole chapter, not just the verse from the song. And what I found seems especially relevant, given the uncertainty that pervades our country, parts of my life, and probably pieces of your world too.

The psalm is one of David’s, written when he had been captured by the Philistines. In it, he calls for God’s protection and deliverance from enemies who were fighting against him, twisting his words and “waiting to take his life.”

I don’t know what kind of enemies you’re facing today. Maybe they are actual human opponents, like the kind David faced. Or perhaps they’re internal foes like discouragement, bitterness, anger or depression—brought on or exacerbated by circumstances, grief, hormones or even our own sinful natures.

The enemy of our souls delights in stealing our joy, robbing our peace and making us think that we’re all alone in our struggles. But he doesn’t have the final say in the matter. Not now, and not ever.

David clearly believed this. And as I read his petitions and praises in Psalm 56 last week, one simple statement began echoing through my mind.

“This I know: God is for me.” (Psalm 56:9b)

Notice that this verse doesn’t say “this is what I think” or “this is what I’m feeling right now.” David’s emotions were all over the place at this point in his life, and understandably so. But even as he processes those emotions with God in prayer, he reiterates the truth that undergirds his life.

“This I know: God is for me.” (emphasis mine)

There’s a lot we don’t know right now, isn’t there? We don’t know how the election is going to turn out. We don’t know what the stock market is going to do next week. We don’t know what the price of gas will be during the holiday season. We don’t know when and where the next mass shooting will be, or when the next person in our own circle of loved ones is going to get hit with a life-altering challenge or tragedy.

We don’t know any of that. But we do know this. God is for us.

He’s not for us like a fair-weathered sports fan, all excited about us when we’re winning and out the door when we start to struggle. He is on our side, no matter how we’re performing or how we’re feeling.

He is for us as only a loving, sovereign, heavenly Father can be. Because of this, He has our best interests at heart. He knows what we need.

And when what we need—to stretch, to grow, to fulfill His purposes for us in the world, to become more like Him—seems like it’s more than can bear, He helps us. Comforts us. Strengthens and supports us.

When you’re for someone, that’s what you do.

And this we know: God is for us.

♥ Lois

P.S. I’m linking up this week with Let’s Have Coffee, Purposeful Faith, #TellHisStory, Faith on Fire, Faith ‘n Friends and Grace & Truth.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash