Selah

Psalm 3
1O LORD, how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
2Many are saying of my soul,
"There is no deliverance for him in God." Selah.
3But You, O LORD, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
4I was crying to the LORD with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.
5I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.
6I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me round about.
7Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God!
For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek;
You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
8Salvation belongs to the LORD;
Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.

The Lord will be faithful to save.
David wrote this psalm as the outpouring of a broken heart. His son Absalom, was attempting to usurp the throne. Not only did this mean that one of his favorite sons was trying to kill him, but the country was being torn apart as a result. It was a dark time for David. Feeling friendless, hopeless, and surrounded by enemies, he turned to the only one that had never failed his trust. Countless times, God had been there in his neediest hours, always providing a hand of protection and of comfort. David was far from being a perfect man, but he always knew where to turn to when he screwed up or the world seemed to conspire against him. He knew that the Lord would provide for him in this situation, as well.
The Lord is faithful to save.
I do not have a family member trying to kill me. In fact there is no one I know that I am not on at least civil terms with currently. But sometimes it still feels like I am friendless, hopeless, and surrounded by enemies. It just happens to be an internal conflict, and I am fighting the seemingly insurmountable issues of my own making. Despite my generally happy personality, I have found more and more often that the weight of guilt coupled with my stubbornness have led me down a sad, broken road of emotional turmoil that is so foreign to my character, but that I have gotten all too used to. But I know where to turn to for salvation. I know that God is just waiting for me to stop avoiding Him and stumble towards Him instead. I just pray that I can man up and have the guts that David did to do so over and over.
The Lord has faithfully saved.
In reading Psalm 3 you might perhaps notice an interesting aspect of some of the language David uses. If you look at verses 4 and 7 in particular, you can see that those statements are written in past tense: "You have answered me," "You have smitten all my enemies." It is an immense comfort to be reminded of the Lord's prescience and prior actions. He is not only sure to be there when we need Him most. He is also there laying the foundations for our salvation before we even realize we need it. There is no digging a hole to deep for God to reach down and pull me out of, for he has been right next to me the entire time.
I know that I will face many more trials in my life. I know that many of them will be of my own making. And I know that they will lead to some dark times for me. But I know three other things, as well.
I know that my God has already saved me. I know that my God is currently saving me. And I know that my God has prepared my future salvation.
Selah.

In good hands,
Nic