Hello Ambassadors for Christ,
Today, let’s find encouragement in the psalmist’s insistence on not fearing men:
“Yahweh is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?”
Psalm 118:6
The psalmist makes a declaration: “The Lord is for me.” This can also be rendered as, “The Lord is on my side.” The reason the psalmist can have such confidence is that he knows in his heart he has placed total faith in God. He understands he cannot make it on his own and thus submits to the One who can enable him to overcome and endure all he is going through.
This psalm corresponds with another psalm, which gives more context for where this confidence emanates:
“In God, whose word I praise, In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?”
Psalm 56:4
The psalmist goes on to clarify that God is on his side to help and assist him:
“Yahweh is for me among those who help me; Therefore I will look in triumph on those who hate me.”
Psalm 118:7
The psalmist then poses a simple but profound question: “What can man do to me?” Following the previous statement concerning the Lord being on the psalmist’s side, this question is clearly rhetorical. The psalmist is not seeking answers; he is asserting, “Men can’t do anything to me.”
One commenter notes: “They can do no more than God permits.” This is important because it should be understood that, since God is the ultimate authority, whatever men can do is also under God’s ultimate authority. Evil men are restrained by the grace and power of God. These men cannot operate outside the sphere of influence allowed by God.
This is crucial to remember because sometimes it might seem like the answer to the psalmist’s question, “What can men do to me?” is “a lot.” This could be a reality for some of us living right now, where life feels like we’re being crushed every day by the hands of our enemies. The enemies may have thrown quite the devastating blow in our direction, leading to broken relationships, health crises, financial turmoil, humiliation, marred characters, and being hated without cause.
In these times, we are prone to worry, look at life with discontentment, give up, and even think that life is not fair. Like the psalmist, we need to be careful not to be quick to put our trust in men. This is usually seen as a quick fix to most of our problems. Instead of enduring hardships, we find it more conducive to place our faith in men instead of continuing to focus on God and trust Him for deliverance. For this, the psalmist says it is far better to trust in God than in men:
“It is better to take refuge in Yahweh than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in Yahweh than to trust in nobles.”
Psalm 118:8-9
It is at these times that we need to find solace in knowing that all the enemy does is still under the restraint of our good and sovereign God, who works all things for good for those who love Him — Romans 8:28.
We can always find comfort in knowing that He who is within us is far more abundantly greater than he who is in the world — 1 John 4:4. And that this One’s love for us is so superior that nothing and no one can separate us from His love — Romans 8:35-39.
Here is an interesting way to look at it:
Whether the believer traces back his comfort to the everlasting goodness and mercy of God or looks forward to the blessing secured to him, he will find abundant cause for joy and praise. Every answer to our prayers is evidence that the Lord is on our side; we need not fear what man can do to us. We should conscientiously do our duty to all and trust in Him alone to accept and bless us.
Matthew Henry
The apostle Paul shares these words of comfort with the Romans, which are important for us to grasp as well:
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39
Here are some encouraging realities we need to accept:
- God is on our side: As believers who have placed our faith in Christ, God will always be on our side.
- No one can separate us from His love: He is an infinite God, capable of infinite love. Let’s find our hope in knowing that He will never allow us to be separated from His love.
- God is in control: Whatever man wants to do to us does not go unseen by our mighty God. God will allow and/or restrain what comes to pass in accordance with His great divine plan.
I pray this Word encourages you to face yet another day with a heart full of hope.
Bless your heart,Paul
Leave a Reply