Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; fighting all day he oppresses me. My enemies would hound me all day, for there are many who fight against me, O Most High.” (vs1-2)
The Son of God and His people have many enemies (vs1-2). They war against Christ, hate God, and refuse to take His mercy. We also bear the heat of the day, as they rebel against Him. They oppose you, because they are of their father the devil, the god of this world, and the lusts of their father, they do. They have not known peace, so they are not peaceable. The devil, doomed to hell eternal, wars against God and His church, fighting until the bitter end. He works inside of his minions, using the hands and voice of men to do his work.
Don't be discouraged or surprised. You've COMPLETELY switched teams upon coming to Christ, and grace, not ease, is your hope. We are not walking in the lily patch of ease, but we are in constant warfare in this world. It is NORMAL, and it's conquered by crying out. He said, “Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; fighting all day he oppresses me”. Let your mouth open and direct your prayer to God. You are not to sit defeated or fight in your self-strength. Come to Christ in need, confident of His care, and get His power for your foes, so that you may have peace and obedience.
Secondly, it doesn't matter what man does or how strong the flesh and Satan are: God is stronger than the strongest, and He's on your side (vs3-9). He says, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” He gave His Son for you, predestining you from before the world was made to Paradise and eternal life. He took your sins, gave them to Christ, and then punished His Son without pity, in your place, so that you could be justified and glorified. Is it possible that He'd give you Christ as your sin-bearer and then not give you the Spirit to succeed? I dare not think that God is smaller than my problems, as if they must win, and praise must be muted or halfhearted. I believe, as the Psalmist, that when God has chosen to fight for us, it doesn't matter what the enemy desires or what he thinks he can do. He is nothing in God's hand, incapable of doing anything, and he is subject to the will of Almighty Christ.
Fear is why we come to Christ, but having come to Him, what should we fear? What can man do? Man opens NO doors and controls nothing, so don't grovel before him for approval. The boss doesn't rule this world or control your paycheck, the Lord does, so honor Him, and leave the results to God who knows that you must eat. Fearlessness is part of Christ's inheritance for us. We have Him, so nothing else matters.
Finally, I will honor, praise, and love God for the salvation that He gives (vs12-13). He says, “Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You, for You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?” It is not pretended praise, or doing like the nine lepers who didn't return to give God glory, once they were healed (Luke 17). Instead, we go to Him in need, get victory over the flesh and the world, and then, now that FEAR is gone, we continue in His love, doing His will from the heart. We love people because we really saw salvation's of the Lord, and we look to Him, not only for deliverance, but as we've promised, in praise to the Deliverer! We are not people who say, “I'm saved, so I can live as I choose”, but we love with the mercies that we've received. We are thankful to the Lord Jesus, and this is the essence of peace. We get Christ's grace, and then we hold onto Him by loving as we have been commanded. We trust Him, not only to defeat the opposition, but to make us obedient in the process, not only forgiven, but cleansed.
Are you praising God in thankfulness? Do you believe that outnumbered and oppressed, He saved you? If you have trusted in the Lord amidst your fears, and seen shame, Satan, and sin defeated, then you're convinced it is right to praise and adore Him (Rom 12:1-2). Paul said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. It is right to love because He loves you in a way that actually saves, sanctifies, and fills you with pleasure.
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