"O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, 'There is no salvation for him in God. Selah'
But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy hill. Selah”
Psalm 3:1-4
The word Selah, which ends each of these couplets, means, “Pause a moment and meditate on the words you just sang.”
So David says, “Look how many enemies have arisen against me! Look how many are saying, ‘God isn’t going to answer your prayers. We will defeat you.’ (I am going to stop and meditate on that.)”
Then He says, “But You faithfully protect me, and You answer my prayers. (Now I’ll stop and meditate on that!)”
We need to take the time to meditate on both of these things: the fact that there are powerful enemies arrayed in opposition to our Christian faith and life, and the fact that our God is both powerful to defend, protect and save us, and always ready to hear and answer our prayers when we cry out to Him.
If we bury your heads in the sand and don’t recognize the dangers we face, we aren’t likely to cry out to God. Denial is no help; the devil, the world and our own flesh do their most effective damage when we refuse to admit they’re at work.
On the other hand, a heartfelt cry to God for mercy and deliverance will always bring results, because our Father is listening and ready to deliver us.
Lord, open my eyes to see the danger of the opposition and the evil plans that are at work to keep me from being faithful to You. Open my eyes to see Your faithfulness, power, mercy and love. Answer me as I cry out to You for help today, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Dan Giles