SAY UNTO MY SOUL
“Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.” Psalm 35:3
One of the reasons we are so fond of the Psalms is that, in our own way, we can identify with the struggles of the writers. The psalmists are often engaged in some form of conflict and in need of God’s assistance. We also see these godly writers expressing their fears and requesting emotional support. In Psalm 35:3, David is crying out for God to help him against his enemies. He was desperately in need of God’s deliverance from those who were persecuting him. In his plea, David also says, “say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.” David needed physical deliverance, but he also needed encouragement. He begged God to speak words of strength to him; “say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.”
In other words, he needed for God to affirm to his soul that God was his salvation and would undertake for his behalf. Call it discouragement, fear, or even doubt; he needed to hear something from God. As much as he needed physical victory, he also needed the victory in his mind and heart. Have you ever been there? Have you ever desperately needed for God to say to your soul that all was well? Probably all of us have experienced what David needed in this battle. Thank God for all the times He assures us that He is with us and that deliverance and victory will come.
God has a way of speaking peace to the troubled waters of our souls. He speaks to us through His Word and gives us words of comfort. In those times of testing and trials, we are driven to seek Him for direction and perspective. If we do not turn to Him and discover His promises, we can become defeated. Difficulties can either be destructive, or they can be tools to help us grow. If they motivate us to find our strength and wisdom in Him, they will actually produce godliness in our lives.
Of all times, we need to spend time with the Lord when we are going through spiritual battles. It is critical that we converse with and consult Him. We cannot trust our feelings to see us through the storms. It is not wise for us to look only at our circumstances, which can sometimes appear to be impossible. We also know that the devil will try to convince us that our situation is hopeless. In those times, we need God’s counsel. Sometimes we need for Him to “say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.”