January 10, 2025 Devo

One of the things I love about the Psalms is how honest the psalmists are about their struggles and their feelings. I feel as if it gives me permission to be honest about mine as well. In Psalm 3 we find David on the run. As a warrior, he was familiar with the threat of battle. He understood that there were enemies who wanted what he had and had no regard for the fact that he was king by the decree of the Lord. They didn’t care about his “anointing.” He got that.
But this cry of the heart in our passage today wasn’t about a king from another land. This psalm is about David’s own son Absalom who had declared himself king and wanted David gone. Warfare strategy and battle courage didn’t apply here. David, who had faced down the giant Goliath as a young man, was now weak-kneed and overwhelmed. Not because he was afraid. But because he was broken-hearted. It was a war upon his heart, not his army. And he never saw it coming.
Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe you’re there right now. There are some people in your world that you probably expect to be attacked by from time to time. Those you can handle. But what do you do with a sneak attack from someone you love? When your spouse turns against you. When your child attacks you. When your parent betrays you. When you find out your best friend has undermined you. Wars of the heart are more than just hard. They are overwhelming. Emotions flood your soul like a tsunami. Your mind is confused, and it’s hard to organize your thoughts. You find yourself like a pinball bouncing between anger and grief, rage and sadness. It’s not unusual to find yourself sinking into a hole of desperation and helplessness.
Take heart. Though this war you are fighting is painful and difficult, you are not alone. God not only knows, He is NEAR. The people you may have leaned on may have pulled away from you, but the God you STAND on has never left. You’ll have to hold onto Him tighter than you ever did before. You’ll have to depend on Him more than you ever have. But you will also find Him more FAITHFUL than you have ever known. So, if like David, you find yourself fighting a war of the heart today, know this. The King of your heart stands with you. And He will see you through. That’s God’s Word for you today.