So again I was looking at the bible verses of the day websites, and I found a verse that I thought was pretty cool.  Actually two verses, Psalm 56: 3-4.  But before I list those verses I actually want to start at the beginning of the psalm and then work my way through it, cuz it’s not that long and it’s a pretty cool psalm.

The first two verses go together I think.  They read: “Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack.  My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride.”

This psalm is written by David and he wrote it when the Philistines had seized him in Gath, so it makes sense for his asking of mercy from attacks.  But this can apply to our every day lives when we’re not being held captive by the Philistines.  People all around us attack us with sin each and every day.  Even though it’s not always a physical attack, emotionally and spiritually we’re fighting battles all the time.  Asking God for mercy is not a bad thing to do when you’re struggling.  In fact it’s probably the best thing to do I think, cuz who else to help you in your time of need than God?

Now coming to verses 3 and 4, they read: “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.  What can mortal man do to me?”

God oversees everything and will help you in everything.  All we have to do is trust Him, and He will get the job done.  Verse four reminds me of our currency here in America where they say “In God we trust” on them.  What it says on the coin or bill is supposed to speak for everyone here, but in this particular verse, it speaks only to us as individuals.  “In God I trust.”  At the moment that you are afraid and need help, you’re not thinking about everyone else in this country, you’re only thinking of yourself and how you alone trust in God.  Once we put our trust in Him, there’s nothing in this world that we should be afraid of, cuz God is in control.

Verses 5 and 6 go together, and they read: “All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life.

These verses are almost a repeat of the first two verses.  People attack us by twisting our words around, and making us sin.  Satan is always trying to harm and hurt us and to trip us so that we fall into darkness.  But for the grace and mercy of God, can we defeat Satan.

Verse 7 reads of a punishment for our attackers: “On no account let them escape; in your anger, O God, bring down the nations.”

God is slow to anger, but I believe that this verse actually is a sort of prophesy for the revelation.  God will not let sinners escape from his wrath.  His wrath will be ever terrible and will “bring down the nations,” so to speak.  In the end only those who put their trust and faith in the Lord will survive.

Verse 8 reads: “Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll-are they not in your record?”  To this I believe that David is getting very emotional about this.  And who could blame him?  Either he’s in much pain, or he’s just crying because God is so wonderful.  Whatever the case, this psalm to him carries much emotion, as it should hit us in some way.

Verse 9 gives us hope, and it reads “Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help.  By this I will know that God is for me.”

All we have to do is ask, and God will be there for us.  When our enemies see that God is with us and that they will be defeated, they will turn back and run away.  And by them turning back, we can know that God is on our side, cuz there’s nothing else that would make them turn back then the power of God.

Verses 10 and 11 go together reading “In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise-in God I trust; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?”

I think David here really wants to stress that God is THE only one to praise.  No other being on earth should be getting all the praise but Him.  It seems like you want to say, well no duh, but I think too often we forget that God deserves all the credit, not any of us earthly beings.  Again though we see the phrase “In God I trust.”  While David is being held captive or whatever from the Philistines, he never loses his trust in God.  He is putting all his faith in God and letting God do what He wants.  Again, with God on our side, we need not be afraid of anything, and no one can harm us, for they will have run away!

Verses 12 and 13 are the last verses, and they go together saying “I am under vows to you, O God; I will present my thank offerings to you.  For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”

Although we live in a time now where we don’t need to sacrifice an animal to give to God, we can still give our time and thanks to God.  These verses kind of wrap everything up in giving some proof as to why we should thank God.  As mentioned earlier, God will be on our side and rid us of our enemies, but God also helps us so that we may go up to Heaven and be with Him.  I know I’ve mentioned Heaven a couple times before, but I love doing it because Heaven will be the most awesome and most amazing place ever.

David was not killed by the Philistines, because God made it so.  God has a specific purpose for each and every one of us; God saved David from death, and as he should be doing, David is thanking God for this.

Whether it be something little or something big that we go through, we should be thanking God for delivering us from evil, helping make sure that we can go to Heaven and praise His wondrous name.

Reading through this psalm I think is very comforting, for it helps to revive our faith in God, because we know that He is always with us.

Next time you pay for something, or even just any time, say to yourself, “In God I trust” so that you may think of Psalm 56, and know that God is with you and will always be there for you.  O and make sure you thank Him for being there too. 🙂