When People Push Us Down

People can push us down and mess with our minds. When others treat us wrongly, we can get into a dark place mentally and be scared to keep moving forward. When we have enemies coming against us, it can be hard for us to stay positive or keep our trust in God. In Psalm 143, we can see that David felt the same way. He writes, “The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead” (verse 3). And in this dark time, David cries out to God: “My spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails” (verses 4, 7). David knows that the people who have been pushing against him have affected his energy and the way he feels about life. He doesn’t want those people to destroy him. So David cries out to God, wanting to receive the hope and strength he needs to keep living. He tells God about his enemies, and he also remembers God’s unfailing love, saying, “I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done” (verse 5). Even as David asks God for help, saying, “Show me the way I should go Rescue me from my enemies Teach me to do your will preserve my life” (verses 8-11), David also expresses his trust in God with words like, “To you I entrust my life I hide myself in you” (verse 8-9). There are times when life will get to us, and certain people around us will make us feel like quitting. When we are tired and worn out, we can cry out to God like David did. We can ask God to show us how good He is and remind us that He is always with us (Matthew 28:20). As Christians, we can rest in Jesus’s compassion for us and rely on the Holy Spirit to teach us and remind us of all Jesus said (John 14:26). And we can look forward to the day Jesus will return to right every wrong. Just like David knew that he could rely on God and trust Him to be faithful, we can too. • Emily Acker • What do you have going on in your life right now that is making your spirit weak? How might God be inviting you to come to Him? Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you. Psalm 143:9 (NIV)