God and the Enemy

“They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.” (Ps. 18:18-19)

In distress, we struggle to maintain the distinction between God and our enemy. How can we trust the Shepherd who led us into the valley?

The enemy’s victory hinges on us abandoning our belief in the goodness of God. This is how he gets us alone. If the Father is our opponent, we will not cry to him for help.

David always kept the distinction. He had plenty of enemies, but God was not one. In seasons of both triumph and tragedy, “the LORD was [his] support.”

Prayer came easy because David didn’t need to guess where God stood in the matter.

God was always standing for him.

And David could always ask for help.

The more you believe that God is for you, the sooner you’ll go to him in times of trouble.

We delay because we doubt. We stop talking to God in suffering because we start to think that he changed sides.

But God never changed. He has always stood near.

This becomes clear in the broad place, where the light shines and you can see how fiercely he has been fighting for you.

The shadows are the testing place.

The test is not whether you are strong enough. God knows you aren’t. The test is whether you will lean toward Christ, even while his purpose remains hidden.

It’s hard to trust the hands that led you into the valley. But in the struggle, remember that these very hands were pierced to bring you near.