This week, Lord willing, we will look at the 54^th Psalm written by David at a time he turned to God in prayer when he was betrayed by the Ziphims to Saul.  I hope each day you will be fed by the word of God as this Psalm unfolds. 

Psalm 54:1  “Save me; O God by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.”           

The words of David here are refreshing to a child of God.  We begin this verse with a call out for salvation.  The people of God know who their Saviour is, for it is written “ Neither is there salvation in any other:  for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12), so when trials come or distress enters into our lives, we are enjoined by the word of God and shown here as an example by David to call on the name of our Saviour,  Jesus Christ, whose name is given by God to be a name above every other name. (Philippians 2:9)

                The last part of this verse, David pleads with God to be judged only by His strength.  As he is surrounded by his enemies and their justice, he appeals to God’s power and His justice.  This also brings comfort to a child of God to remember that God is omnipotent and He reigns with all power and in perfect justice (Rev. 19:6).  As the world continues to lay charges and accusation against the children of God in this age, we must also be reminded of Paul’s words to the Romans, “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect?  It is God that justifieth.”  We will never be justified by this world or the things in it, only by the grace of God (Rom. 3:24) and the faith of His Son Jesus Christ. (Gal.3:24)  Take time today to call upon the Saviour in your hour of need whether it be a trial or for endurance to bear those that persecute or try your soul. 

Psalm 54:2  “Hear my prayer O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.”

                After calling on His Saviour, David addresses his petition to the ear of God to hear his prayers.  Prayer is a mighty weapon here on earth.  It is a weapon that the enemy can not take from us.  Jesus said that “whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matt. 21:22).  The key word here is believing.  As we walk in this world, the faith of God becomes ever so important, and just as David’s prayer is that God will hear the words of his mouth, we are told to be careful for nothing, or take nothing for granted, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to make our requests known unto God (Phil. 4:6).  What a loving God to always hear the prayers of faith from His people!

                Does hearing these things cause you to reflect on your prayer life?  Maybe your prayer life is nothing like we read in the word of God.  In my life, I can say that this has been the case at times, but the one scripture that I have always found comfort in, is Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought:  but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”  What an all-sufficient, loving God to give the Holy Spirit to teach us to pray for those things that we ought.  Once again we see how faithful God is to His elect.  I hope you can reflect today on how God has been faithful in your life.

Psalm 54:3  “ For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul:  they have not set God before them, Selah.” 

                David in verse three is beginning to feel despair.  Saul is after him, and as he tries to find a place of refuge with the Ziphims, they betray him and go and tell Saul where he is.  David here pleads with God, that these enemies have not put God first, nor feared Him, nor had any regard for His justice.  Oh, how we feel this when we are persecuted or feel like everyone is against us, or when we see the wicked prosper for a time.

                It is appropriate here that David uses a Selah.  A Selah is a time to pause, and to think and remember what God has shown us.  A time not to despair but to ponder on God and His goodness.  As I think on David’s situation here, which has been my own at times, the words of Christ ring in my ears “But I say unto you, which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you.  Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you”  (Luke 6:27, 28).  Christ’s words to us concerning our enemies are this, love them and pray for them.  There is no room for murmuring or no call to wish ill will, but only to pray and love.  By doing this, we honor God by waiting for His deliverance and also by being obedient.  Paul says it best in Romans 12:19 when he tells us not to avenge ourselves of our enemies, but give wrath its proper place which is out of our minds, and to yield to our Saviour who says vengeance is His, and His alone.  Do you have those you can think of today that try your patience, or that you perceive as an enemy?  If so, take time to pray for them today as the Holy Spirit leads you.

Psalm 54:4  “Behold God is mine helper:  the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.” 

                After pausing for the Selah, David seems to come to his senses and joyfully exclaims God is his helper.  The very word “Behold” would tell us of this joy and happiness.  The smoke is gone and David now sees clearly.  God is his all-in-all.  He is better that all the help of any other men.  In Hebrews 13:5, 6, we read that God will never leave His children, so that we can confidently and boldly say “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”  This is what David now sees clearly and thus has great reason to be joyful and loudly exclaim it.

                The last part of this verse is simply a thanking of God for deliverance.  David knows his prayers have been answered and God would provide him with those that would help him escape and also those that would fight for him.  David was so confident that his heart was on the side of God that he was sure that God was on his side.  Here we see the faithfulness of God not to leave us in our own despairing thoughts long, but to bring those precious words of Paul’s to our ears, “If God be for us, who can be against us” (Rom. 8:31b).  When these words become real to you, then all of life’s difficulties seem to lessen or grow smaller because you have the greatest champion of all fighting for you that none can triumph over.  Our champion, Jesus Christ, has defeated all the enemies we could have; Satan, the bondage of the law, our flesh, and also death (I Cor. 15:25-26).  So I ask you, what enemy is there to fear?  Have you thanked God for overcoming all of your obstacles through the gift of His Son?  What joy there is in Jesus Christ!!

Psalm 54:5  “ He shall reward evil unto mine enemies, cut them off in thy truth.” 

                As we touched on earlier in the week, Christ said vengeance was His, and that He would repay.  Make no mistake about it; God rewards the wicked and evil of this world with their just rewards.  They work for evil, so their wages shall be justly paid.  It is a peaceful thing to know that God is sovereign over all things, which in this case would include our enemies.  David’s enemies would be judged, and the very snares they laid for David would end up being theirs.  This would also be the case with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, when His enemies persecuted Him, spat upon Him, chose a criminal to live over Him, denounced Him, and yelled out to crucify Him. (Matt., Mark, Luke and John) Our Lord would certainly have His vengeance in 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed and judgment came to His oppressors.  But in all of this, Christ’s words on the cross show us once again how to pray for our enemies, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).  Even in His final minutes of pain and suffering, the LORD still prayed for His enemies.

                David ends this verse with this petition to cut them off in thy truth.  God answers this request by cutting Saul and his family off forever and establishing David on the throne girded with the truth of God.  God’s faithfulness is shown here in executing His perfect justice and punishing that which is evil.  Praise be to God for His justice in all of the earth.  It should be noted here that David’s cry is for God to be glorified here, not of a selfish desire, but to see God exalted over His enemy.  Take time today to reflect when God has delivered you from enemies and thank Him for it.

Psalm 54:6 “I will freely sacrifice unto thee:  I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good.” 

                David is so ready to praise God.  He has seen his deliverance, he has seen God’s faithfulness and he is ready to lift up his voice in praise.  The Lord loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7) and here David cheerfully gives his offerings of praise freely and joyfully.  This show of praise should raise a question in all of us.  Do we praise God in this manner?  Do our voices sing His praise, our prayers glorify Him, and our worship bring Him the glory He deserves?  Do we say as John wrote in Rev. 5:12 “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing”? 

                David speaks here also of the name of the Lord being good and to be praised.  Earlier in the week I quoted Phil. 2:9, which here bears repeating:  “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name.”  Is the name of Christ exalted in your life to its’ rightful place?  What things in this world demand your attention or your time?  If your priorities are out of order this day, and you desire that they be put in the right order, but are unsure how, remember the words of Paul to the Philippians in 2:12, 13.  Paul exhorts them to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, (which means for a child of God to seek after those things above or cultivate your relationship with God as a farmer would his crops) and he goes on to tell us in verse 13 that it is God which works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure.  So to summarize, it is God who will put it in your heart to do so and also be faithful to perform it, and what a blessing this is for God’s child.

                The words of Christ in Matt. 6:33 go hand in hand with this when He says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His Righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  May your prayers be today to ask God to exalt Himself to His proper place in your life, and to work in you an obedient and thankful heart.

Psalm 54:7 “For he hath delivered me out of all trouble:  and mine eye hath seen His desire upon mine enemies.” 

                David begins Psalm 46 with “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  David knows that God is his deliverer.  He has delivered His people all throughout the Bible, because He is a faithful God.  God delivers us as we stray from the fold, He is the faithful shepherd to use the rod and staff to comfort us and bring us back (Ps. 23).  The faithfulness of God has always been a great staple of peace for me.  When I look, not through the eyes of faith, but with my physical fleshly eyes, I always see trouble and despair.  One of my most cherished verses in the word of God is found in I Thessalonians 5:24 “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”  God is our strength, our hope, our deliverer, just as He was for David.

                The last line of this verse is also the last of the chapter.  As David is delivered from his enemies, God in His faithfulness shows David, before his eyes, the destruction of his enemies.  As we are persecuted in this world, we will have many enemies.  Most of them will move in and out of our lives and we may never know what becomes of them, but in this case God showed David.  Saul would be killed and David would ascend to his throne.  David asked for God’s justice and God was faithful to show him it.  May God show you this day and all your days His justice and Glory.

                In closing, I hope that this week you have been blessed by the devotions and that you can glean from David’s Psalm and pray unto God for deliverance and strength from all the trials and difficulties that may come your way, and may God bless your reading in His word.