I missed a day…already. So, I will blog a psalm on Saturday.

Here’s today’s:

But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
I cried to the LORD with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.

Arise, O LORD;
Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Salvation belongs to the LORD.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

In the middle of great adversity and persecution…David has confidence. Confidence in God’s protection. Confidence in God’s salvation.

I realize that I am weak in faith and often spend my time in the land before the “but…” - where I dwell more on the adversities than on the “but I know God will sustain and protect me.”

When it comes to career and future especially, I get negative, pessimistic. But I can feel God calling me to a new way forward, and that way is the way of confident identity. This is where David lives - not in the total absence of adversity or negative attitudes about adversity, but in the quick recourse to confidence in his identity in God. Deep down he knows that God’s blessing is on his people, and he is one of God’s people.

Often we think this is cocky-Christianity. Christians shouldn’t think themselves any more favored than anyone else because that is tantamount to self-righteousness. I believe it must be the opposite. What is more dishonoring to a father than to believe that he will not protect his beloved children? If I am a child of God, I ought to expect his favor in my life.

This is not the absence of adversity.

This is confidence in adversity.

Lord, I pray that as I move forward into this day, stranded at JFK and onward, I would move in faith and confidence. I know that you love me. I know that nothing can separate me from your love. Nothing above. Nothing below. No tribulation, trial, or sword. Nothing, nothing, nothing.

Lord please let me function in the holy cockiness of knowing you love me and will never ever stop, no matter what.

I am reminded of this hymn that we sang at Dwell several times:

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
O what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my savior am happy and blest
Watching and waiting, looking above
Filled with his goodness, lost in his love.

Yup.

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