“But God…”

While reading John’s Gospel in the last week we have seen the Jewish leaders conspiring against Jesus. In this psalm David prays for protection in a similar experience (1). He brings his anxieties to God and, by the end of the prayer, has reached an attitude of faith, expressed in praise. The threat was real, not imagined. David was not using prayer as a psychological trick to calm himself down. His life was threatened. He was putting real danger into perspective in the light of the known character and actions of the God of Israel. David was facing a conspiracy (2). The threat was coming through the plans his enemies were making (4,5). The enemies’ weapons were twisted words, not yet real arrows. Cunning hearts and minds were planning evil, and David is casting his cares on his Lord.

The turning point comes with the words “But God” (7). At least 45 times in the Bible a story or an argument pivots on these words. What humans cannot do, God can. When all seems lost, God comes to our aid. Danger that seems overwhelming is dwarfed by the majestic power of the Creator. When human sin brings disaster, the love and grace of God opens a new future. David recognizes that God has his own “arrows” (7). Those who plot injustice will have their plans turned back on themselves and contribute to their own downfall. Those who plot evil in secret will be disgraced publicly (7,8).

As Jesus lived to honor the Father, so David recognized that not just his personal safety but God’s public reputation was at stake (9). As he prayed, the honor and glory of God became his greatest concern. This psalm invites us all to praise the God who is our refuge.

What would my life be if it were not for God’s gracious intervention? Where in my life do I most need his presence now?