Have you ever felt that the world is waiting in expectation for you to fail? What do we do when we are surrounded by people whose only desire in this life is to watch us fall? David had a simple explanation: Boast. This is probably why at first glance this psalm doesn't appear to make any sense. He doesn’t try to fix the situation or be a people pleaser.
So often as Christians we embrace this idea that a man or woman, who truly loves God, will not have conflict or hardship. They will be happy people who everyone likes. We think that if we aren't happy or people don't like us then we are somehow sinning.
But Christ rejected this definition in Luke 6:22-26 when he said, "Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets…Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets."
Essentially Christ says that a man who follows him with all of his heart will be steeped in conflict. This is not because we go looking for it (Romans 12:18). If we speak the truth boldly and in love (Matthew 28:18, John 13:35, & Ephesians 4:15), people will naturally hate us (Matthew 10:34-39). It is the nature of truth. It is exclusive, which means it excludes others, it convicts others of their sin... and people do not like to be convicted of their sin.
So this is where David finds himself. He has spoken the truth boldly, and he is surrounded by people who hate him. And yet David is fully confident. He knows that when he is most broken, afraid, and powerless than God is at his greatest. This is why he boasts. It is just as Paul says in 2 Cor. 12:9-10 "But he said to me (God), "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
David understood this. Therefore, he said in verse 1 "The lord is the light of my salvation, whom shall I fear?" & in verse 2 "The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid."
He understood that in his weakness God was at His greatest. David understood that man could do nothing to him (Matthew 10:28)
It is important to understand that David is not confident, because he knows that he can outwit or defeat his enemies. He knows without God' help he is dead, "(12) Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence." David is confident, because he has laid himself fully at God's feet. He knows that God, in time, will do miracles through those who submit themselves fully to Him. Even though David doesn't know how God will do this or when, he is still completely confident. He knows God is good, just, and loving. David has faith and knows that in time God will do something miraculous. So David ends by saying,
"(13) I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. (14) Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."
So here is my final thought: When you find yourself struggling and in impossible situations, when you find yourself surrounded by people who only want you to fail, and when all seems hopeless: Boast: For in due time God will bring great glory to himself through your faith (Hebrews 12: 7-13).
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