Psalm – Chapter 59

But you, O Lord, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision. O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. Psalm 59:8-9 – The season of David’s life that he is connecting this psalm to would have been a terrifying one for anyone in his position. In 1 Samuel 19:11-12 we learn that King Saul sent assassins to watch over David’s house and find the perfect time to kill him. Every night David would look out his window an see the assassins lurking in the shadows watching his every move, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Could you imagine the weight of stress that would cause you! We see in the psalm this was a time of fear for David and a time he was pleading to the Lord for help. Our verse though reveals a powerful truth we must remember when the enemy’s assassins are lurking in the shadows around us. They are no match for the Lord. In our verses we see David remind himself that the Lord isn’t nervous about these enemies, in fact, He laughs are their measly threats. Think of someone charging a massive stone castle to take it down, yet with only a marshmallow gun. Everyone on the castle wall would be rolling on the floor laughing at these marshmallow soldiers for they have confidence their castle wall will remain perfectly fine through this level of attack. Let us keep this reality within our thoughts. The enemy is loud and scary and has a lot of force behind him, and his main goal is to tear people away from Jesus. While for us trying to stand alone, the enemy can do some damage, yet before the Lord, Satan is just a marshmallow soldier. God will be your strength and fortress when the enemy attacks. Under the Lord’s shelter of safety, not only do we need not fear the enemy, we can join in with the Lord as He laughs at the enemy’s punny attacks. Never forget how weak our enemy is compared to our great God. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3014

Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. They wander about for food and growl if they do not get their fill. But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. Psalms59:14-16 – After another night of his enemies howling and prowling the city for him, the psalmist songs aloud of God’s love in the morning. What a mindset to challenge ourselves to have. The psalmist understood the fact that he was still here and alive the next morning and this was proof that God’s steadfast love was real and with him. We too must realize that if we woke up this morning, even if we are still in the midst of a struggle, the fact we made it through the night is a result of God’s steadfast love over us. He watched over you and your situation while you slept. He kept working on things when depression halted you in your track. He fought while you were scared. Maybe the evidence you’ve been looking for that God is within your story right now is the fact you’re alive today. For if you woke up this morning, that means God was working, sees you, and has a purpose for you today. Know God is never going to leave you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 995

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men. Psalm 59:1-2 – This seems to be a common way David starts his psalms, asking God to deliver him from some sort of trouble. Yet even in that there is a powerful message David is giving. When trouble came he went to God. When trouble came again, he again went to God. How about for you? When enemies continue to return do we continue to return to God? Or does the reappearance of an enemy cause you to doubt God’s strength? Do you ever catch yourself thinking, “If God was so strong why would I be dealing with this again?” It’s understandable, but forgetting the nature of our enemy. Our enemy is Satan and his forces and they aren’t going anywhere till Jesus takes care of them once and for all in the end times. All that means is we’re going to continue to face enemy after enemy our entire life. Yet while we’ll never have a time to look forward to in this life where enemies will be absent, we never have to fear a time in this life where God is absent. You can over, and over, and over, and over come to God for help in your time of need because He’s not going anywhere. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2019