Psalms 59:14-16 (ESV)
[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.
Psalm 59 was written by David
when Saul sent people to watch his house in order to kill him. The Psalm is an
honest and passionate cry for deliverance. The verses quoted above are near the
end of the Psalm. The final verse reads, “O my Strength, I will sing praises to
you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love” (Ps
59:17). In the middle of very real danger David can say, “You, O God, are my
fortress.” How can he do that? How does he find peace and hope in the midst of
danger?
Let me make three observations
from the verses quoted above in answer to that question. First, notice that David’s
focus was different than that of his enemies. Their focus was in the moment. “They
wander about for food and growl if they do not get their fill” (Ps 59:15). He
is comparing them to dogs prowling the city by night, but notice that the only
concern of the dogs is filling their stomach in the moment. David’s focus,
however, was not in the moment nor the circumstances that surrounded him. His
focus was on God. The book of Hebrews challenges us, as believers, to fix our
eyes on “Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2). The world’s
eyes are set on the conditions that surround it. We are called to something higher.
The second observation is that not
only was David’s focus different from that of his enemies, he was not focused
on his enemies at all. He set his mind on the faithfulness of God. Enemies look
big. They look overwhelming. Focusing on our enemies robs us of courage and
fills us with fear. A little child may fear going down a playground slide, but
if they are sitting on Mom’s or Dad’s lap the fear dissipates. Their courage
comes from being wrapped in the arms of one they trust. That is exactly what
David was doing. He knew he was wrapped in God’s arms.
Third, David’s present hope was
based on his past experiences with God. Several years ago our whole family went
bungie jumping on Mt. Hood. Standing on that tower looking down at the ground
below and realizing how high we were was scary. It took everything in me to
turn my mind from the height and the ground below to focus on the strength of
the large bungie cord, the harness that held me securely, and safety net that
would catch me in case anything went wrong. Had I not watched several others go
before me, I might not have been willing to make the jump.
David’s trust in
God had grown over the years as he had watched God’s deliverance and
protection. He remembered how God had delivered him when a lion or a bear
attached his flock (see 1 Sam 17:34-35). He remembered how God delivered Goliath
into his hands in 1 Samuel 17. He remembered that God had promised that he
would be the next king (see 1 Sam 16). David’s present courage was rooted in
his past deliverance. He had seen the power and faithfulness of God. He may
have been initially filled with fear, but he knew who he could trust. Setting
his eyes on God, he was filled with courage and hope. He was convinced that by
morning he would “sing aloud of [God’s] steadfast love” (Ps 59:16).
Do you find
yourself filled with fear or anxiety? Take a lesson from David. As the old hymn
says,
Turn your eyes upon
Jesus
Look full in His
wonderful face
And the things of
earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His
glory and grace
(written by Helen Howarth
Lemmell)
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