assault

Opening Prayer: How long will you assault a man?  Would all of you throw him down—this leaning wall, this tottering fence?  They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies.  With their mouths they bless but in their hearts they curse.  Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. (Psalm 62:3-6, NIV)

Scripture: Psalm 62:3-6

Journal: How are you being assaulted today?  What lies are you believing about yourself, about your world, and about your God?  What effect are these lies having on your soul?  How will you remind yourself of the truth?  How will you find rest in God alone?

Reflection: In order to live the spiritual life we must constantly disrupt our old patterns and habits—and the voices that feed them—and open our ears and our hearts to the Voice of the One who calls us Beloved.  

     This is not an easy task, especially when our enemy is constantly barraging us with a message that is quite opposite.  He would have us believe that we are not Beloved at all, but merely a leaning wall and a tottering fence.  You see, his desire is to topple us from our lofty place, to snatch us away from the safety and security of the strong and loving embrace of our God.  Therefore, day and night, he continues his assault.  

     But we are not defenseless in this battle.  We have the truth on our side, and we have the Spirit within us to constantly remind us of that truth.  As Jesus so beautifully reminded us, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)  And the truth is that our strong and loving God has given us our belovedness and it can never be taken away.  Therefore, we can stand firm in the truth, and not allow ourselves to be overcome and overwhelmed by the lies of the enemy.  It doesn’t mean that the assaults will go away, but it does mean that we can stand up under them.  In fact, we can even find rest in God—alone.

     I think that’s one of the reasons I love this psalm so much; it is a declaration of the truth.  We can—in God alone—be assaulted, yet at rest.  Fear and anxiety can continue to barrage us, but we can stand unshaken in him.  It is not merely wishful thinking, but a declaration of truth—one that we need to remind ourselves of continuously.  One that we need to pray and claim out loud as often as we can: “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone!”  It is a refusal to allow the voice of the enemy to determine the state of our hearts and minds.  So fight back.  Don’t just stand there and allow yourself to be assaulted.  Claim the truth and be set free. 

Prayer

Closing Prayer: Strong and loving God, I claim my rest in you this day.  Hold me fast in your loving embrace that I might not believe—and be battered by—the voices of the enemy.  I am not a leaning wall.  I am not a tottering fence.  I am your Beloved.  In you alone is the rest and the peace and the love and the security that I most deeply long for. You alone are my rock, my salvation, my fortress, and my refuge.  I find my rest in you this day.  Amen.