Psalm 55:1-23 Blindsided
David is doubly hurt as he calls out to the Lord for help. Those whom he thought were his friends have blindsided him with their evil hearts.
It is NEVER easy when you see a friend turn foe. The closer to you that friend was to you the more it hurts when they become a foe. I would bet that David’s most painful time was when his own son turned to be a strong foe. Absalom didn’t one day flip and take half the nation with him, he plotted and schemed while still patting his father on the back at dinner. I wonder what that one defining moment was when his plan was revealed.
I’m betting Abner felt the same way when Joab plunged the knife into him. Abner probably had some idea that Joab wasn’t his biggest supporter but he trusted him enough to meet with him unsuspecting of Joab’s true motives.
One thing that saved David from total destruction was where he put his trust. There were men who David trusted with his life but NONE he trusted with his soul. That place belonged to God. David’s whole life, God was his firm foundation. When King Saul hurled a spear at David while he played, David trusted God to protect him as he ran. He didn’t once cry out, “O king, what have I done to displease you? Let me make it right. I’ll give you ANYTHING, even my life if you will just love me again.” Instead, David went to God with his questions and concerns. And God sustained him.
David didn’t lie down in front of Absalom and beg for ANY place he could find in this new kingdom order. He placed his trust in the Lord and Let God work it out. It caused David MUCH pain in the end but not enough to shake his foundation in the Lord.
Even when Joab killed Abner David didn’t fall apart. Abner had promised to deliver the rest of the kingdom of Israel into David’s hands. David instead held fast to GOD’S promise and waited on His timing. Joab would be dealt with at a later time.
David trusted in God to walk with him through ANY adversity, triumph, and everything in between. David put his whole life in God’s hands. And that is where he left it. But leaving his life in God’s hands didn’t mean he didn’t feel the pain. It meant that he turned it over to God instead. God NEVER failed to meet him in his distress or joy.
I was talking with my aunt today and we were discussing something very different related to relying on God but the lesson still fits. When we trust Him with ANYTHING He is able to help with EVERYTHING. When God is your foundation, NOTHING the world throws at you can defeat you. It can hurt but even that hurt can bring greater growth, when we let it.
Father God, THANK YOU for ALWAYS being my foundation. Thank You for teaching me how to rely on You. Some of those lessons were NOT comfortable but they did the job. I am CERTAIN there are MANY still up ahead. I WILL hold fast to You in them too!
Thank You also Father for the ‘rewards’ at the end of the lessons. And the breathing room in between them. EVERYTHING in YOUR time. Thank You that even when I am blindsided by something in life it is NOT a surprise to You. You already have a plan for me to walk through it. All I need do is ask and seek.
