I’m sure you’ve had those days when it seems like everything is going wrong, when it seems like everyone is against you, and when it just seems like the deck is stacked and the fix is in. Yep, we’ve all had those days, and the funny thing is, even the guy who God Himself called “a man after my own heart” had days like that…

Lord, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
    “God will not deliver him.”

Psalm 3:1-2

I must admit that I have never had people trying to kill me before, and I certainly hope that you haven’t either, but I’ve had times when it seemed almost like that. So, it might be interesting to know how the man after God’s own heart responded, don’t you think?

But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.

I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.

Arise, Lord!
    Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
    break the teeth of the wicked.

From the Lord comes deliverance.
    May your blessing be on your people.

Psalm 3:3-8

Happily for me, I’ve never needed to ask God to beat anybody up for me, but as I’ve gone through this life, I, like you no doubt, have had my share of challenges and obstacles to overcome. Sadly, I haven’t always responded to these things as well as David does in these verses.

God loved David, of that there can be no doubt.

God loves you and me too, just as He loved David. We know that God came through for David, that He forgave David for his shortcomings and for his sins, and so, He will do the same for us.

I don’t know about you, but for me, the biggest challenge of all is to remember these things at the time of crisis, rather than following my human tendency to despair first, and think later. Even so, when it takes us a while to see things clearly, to see that God is our strength, our courage, our sustenance and our hope, He is still right there beside us.

What a surety we have; what a strength we have!

God is always there; God is always faithful, even in our worst moments.

What a comfort we have; what a confidence we have!