Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

In the time that David wrote Psalms 54, he had just been appointed by King Saul to be the leader of the king’s armies. It didn’t take long for Saul to begin to notice David’s success, causing him to become very angry and jealous of David. Saul was so intimidated by David that he sought to have him killed. When David heard of Saul’s plan, he fled and went into hiding.

While David was hiding in the town of Ziph, the Ziphites exposed David’s whereabouts in order to aid Saul in capturing and killing him. It's important to note that the Ziphites were of the same tribe as David, meaning that they were essentially just one big family. Talk about betrayal!

David was frightened. I mean, who wouldn’t be, am I right? But I can’t help but think that David was also just extremely frustrated by this whole ordeal. It couldn’t have been easy to keep himself together when his own tribe had just turned against him and his boss wanted him dead. If we are honest, we have all had moments like this one. Maybe we haven’t had a king that has sought to kill us, but pain or betrayal at the hands of people that we have trusted: that’s something that we can all relate to.

In these moments, when the shock wears off a bit, it can be easy to seek retaliation. The revenge, the comeback, the unkind words; they can all seem so nice at first glance. For just a while, “giving them what they deserve” feels pretty good. That’s the thing about sin: it always feels good in the moment. However, sin never leaves us feeling good for the long term, and payback tends to set off a chain of events that becomes a slippery slope into a heart full of some ugly stuff.

David faces this moment with these words:

“Save me, O God, by your name,
And vindicate me by your strength.”

David releases the malice and opportunity for revenge, and instead, he calls upon the Lord to stand in that place for him. He knows that if he steps back and trusts God’s ways, that he will be the one to prevail. David goes on to say that it is the Lord who will repay his enemies for their evil, naming the truth and goodness of God as the wall to stand between them.

We have so much to learn from David in this chapter. Just as David did, we can release our burdens, our disagreements, our strained relationships, our hurtful words and all that come with them to a God who knows how to handle them and will be the resolve. All it requires is faith that He will do it.

David ends this very short psalm by praising God for His goodness and His delivery from this mess. I think that is so powerful: David speaking God’s victory before it has even taken place.

Like David, each of us have moments that we can look back upon and see God’s goodness and faithfulness. Because of this, just as David did, we can be sure of His victory over all circumstances, those present and those to come. We can speak of deliverance because we know, without fail, He will always see us through.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.
• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises? 
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you? 
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.

The Way of Jesus: 7 Marks of Discipleship

As we begin a new series, we encourage you to lean into the 7 Marks of Discipleship each week. The 7 Marks of Discipleship provide a simple tool to help us identify areas where we are thriving in our calling and where we can grow. Check here each week for a new 7 Marks Challenge that will encourage you to follow Jesus closer every day.