“Relentless”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Monday, October 31, 2022

Psalm 56 (Forward, p. 94) CEV p. 587

I don’t know how many of us have ever been in quite as dismal or threatening position as David. To start with, King Saul had decided that David had to die, and in order to accomplish this had marshalled his forces in a seemingly endless and determined pursuit to flush out David from hiding and eliminate him from the scene. But that was only the start: David had decided to flee to Gath, to Israel’s traditional enemies, the Philistines, for refuge. Surely, he thought, he would be safe there. But, sadly, unfortunately, he was not. Even there he faced hostility and threats.

And so, David’s sentiments in today’s psalm are quite a pro po, quite on the mark. Just listen to what he says about it:

“My enemies chase me all day” (verse 1a) (how’s this for relentless?). The danger is sustained and unending

“Many of them are pursuing and attacking me” (verse 2) (and it’s concerted and many-pronged; there is a strength in numbers, all arrayed against him);

“Enemies spend the whole day finding fault with me; all they think about is how to do me harm” (verse 5). Furthermore, these threats are deliberate, intentional and coordinated;

“They attack from ambush, watching my every step and hoping to kill me” (verse 6). And all this is done surreptitiously, watching his every move and hoping somehow to catch him unawares. That’s the whole idea of ambushes—to catch someone when he is unsuspecting and vulnerable.

That is how David describes or categories his enemies, how they are relentless in their pursuit of him and equally relentless in their desire for his destruction. Fortunately, that is not the end of the story. There is someone else that is even more relentless, and in this case, relentless in His concern for David’s well-being and relentless in His actions on his behalf. That ‘someone’ is none other than the Lord. Here David is able to wax even more eloquent about how good and gracious God is in His help on his behalf:

a) Firstly, for God’s intimate knowledge of what he’s going through and His care and concern about this: “You have kept record of my days of wandering. You have stored my tears in your bottle and counted each one of them” (verse 8);

b) Secondly, for God’s never-failing presence: “When I pray, Lord God, my enemies will retreat, because I know for certain that you are with me” (verse 9);

c) Thirdly, for God’s promises and His utter faithfulness and constancy in keeping them, in living up to them: “I praise your promises! I trust you and am not afraid. No one can harm me” (verses 10-11);

d) And finally, for God’s ‘track-record’. God has proved to David that He would ‘come through’ for him many, many times in the past, and so there is no reason for David to doubt or question that this will not happen again:. He remembers that in the past, “You protected me from death and kept me from stumbling: (verse 13a);

David is of the conviction that though his enemies may seem relentless in their desire for evil in his life, God is even more relentless in working for his good. And furthermore, God is fully able to pull this off and determined, even more relentless. God’s care and concern are far more than just ‘good intentions’! And not only was this true for David, it is also true for us, for each of us. We can always trust God to know that God is there, that God is aware, and will do us good. Amen.

Forward notes: “In God the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust and will not be afraid, for what can mortals do to me?” (verse 10)

“In my third year of a program called Education for Ministry, I began praying the Daily Office. This practice grew out of discussions about the importance of talking with God and developing a spiritual discipline of regular prayer.

“I’ve long been an early riser. Before I retired, I cherished avoiding Atlanta’s morning rush hour as well as getting to work before anyone else. Now retired, I continue to wake up early, but these days, before I drink my coffee or take a short walk around the neighborhood, before anything else, I still my mind and sit with the Daily Office. I read the prayers aloud. I find praise within the words of scripture and the Book of Common Prayer collects. I truly pray for the ‘whole state of Christ’s church,’ slowly naming people and situations, asking for help, and offering thanks. The words repeated in today’s psalm, ‘whose word I praise’ speak to me. My morning discipline surrounds me in words of praise.”

Moving Forward: “Commit to praying the Daily Office for the next week. You can find the text in the Book of Common Prayer [US version] starting on page 35, or download the Forward Movement app.”