As I read this Psalm over ad over again, several things struck me...and let me just say the first one and get it over with: the flying sandal in verse 8, did that make anyone besides me say, "OH!!! I get it!"? Remember the reporter and the President and the flying sandal? I guess we know what God thought of Edom!
At first I thought this Psalm would be about David going through some hardship and leaning on God for his strength, in a very "man-after-God's-own-heart" kind of way. But as I read it, that's not what I got. God had rejected them and had been angry! God doesn't reject and become angry with those who are faithful and leaning on him in their distress.
How many times are my difficulties the result of my own lack of faithfulness? How many times does God have to "shake my land" and allow me to suffer hardship to get my attention?
Verse 4 had a couple of different "takes". One version read that God had given a "signal flag" so that those who feared him could "flee before the archers". Another read so that they could "rally because of the truth". That reminded me of the song, "His Banner Over Us is Love". In times of difficulty I have caused myself, do I look up in the midst of my near defeat, crawling and bleeding, and see the banner and rally because I remember what's true? Do I crawl back to God when I see his conquering banner? Does it guide me back to the truth--the banner under which God's people are gathered? Am I watching for it? Am I fighting on the right side?
And in verse 5, the bruised and bleeding cry out, "Save with your right hand and answer me...so that those you love may be rescued!" Did the writer think God needed reminding who he loved, or was it a statement of desperation? I get it though! God, I need help here. I'm desperate. I've really messed things up...and, um, you love me!!! (Hey, I've even played that card a time or two with Scott!)
Then, the very major shift occurs. God speaks. And there is no question as to which party is in control. Before, the words were "hardship, suffer, shaken, fire". Now the words are "triumph, divide, apportion, shout" and the best one, "is Mine".
And perspective is regained. The nearly dead soldier, the prodigal, remembers wherein lies the true strength: "Is it not you, God?...Give us aid..." Then my favorite part (aside from the flying sandal), "...for human help is worthless."
And all my efforts, my attempts to manipulate the situation to go my way, my reliance upon myself, to my own obvious and utter detriment, lay in the dust. And I, broken, defeated, bleeding, crawl back up under the banner of truth, and allow God to "perform valiantly" and "trample my foes".
- submitted by Andrea Eller
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