The Divine Knockout Punch

“O Eternal One, lend an ear to my prayer and answer me, for I am weak and wanting. Safeguard my soul, for I remain loyal to You. Save me, Your servant, who trusts in You, my God.”— Psalm 86:1-2, Voice

"Wow, where did that come from?" It's often while making faith-fueled advancements on this journey that, out of nowhere, we are ambushed with an attack that can leave us wounded in faith and in desperate need of a God-grip. All it takes is one otherwise harmless comment made in your direction that triggers a weakness, a bad memory; one blip on the radar amongst the thousands of wonderful moments in any given day.

More often than not, the ambush manifests in a sudden onslaught of negative self-talk compounded by “yeah, you’re no…” accusations from the enemy of our souls.

Even David, the standard-bearer of the “man after God’s own heart” banner, encountered some type of ambush that left him “weak and wanting.” What is eye-opening, though, is that he doesn’t just plead for a God-rescue, David goes for the jugular—for the all-satisfying, joy of God's promises and presence. (“Bring joy to Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” —Psalm 86:4)

And then he finished his quick prayer, took one more sip of coffee, and got up and went about his day.

Instead, David sets an example for the ages by taking the time—just a few minutes, even—for a simple counter-ambush of renewed faith:

Among the gods [of this world] there is NONE like You (vs. 6)

You are GREAT and do MARVELOUS deeds (vs. 10)

You ALONE are God (vs. 10)

GREAT is Your love toward me (vs. 13)

You have DELIVERED me from the depths of the grave (vs. 13)

You, O Lord, are a COMPASSIONATE and GRACIOUS God (vs. 15)

You, are SLOW to anger [and thank You so much for that] (vs. 15)

You are ABOUNDING in LOVE and FAITHFULNESS (vs. 15)

You, O Lord, have HELPED me and COMFORTED me [in the past, over and over and over] (vs. 17)

Anyone can psych themselves up for awhile. But a joy-filled counter-ambush is a Divine knockout punch because it overrides the negative self-talk and “yeah, you’re no…” accusations by not arguing with the Adversary but rather agreeing with the positive declarations of the Truth—the Truth of who God is, of who He is in me, and who I am in I AM.

And, most of all, it forcefully declares the unspeakably joyful reality that I am forever His and He is mine.

“Begin to rejoice in the Lord, and your bones will flourish like an herb, and your cheeks will glow with the bloom of health and freshness. Worry, fear, distrust, care-all are poisonous! Joy is balm and healing, and if you will but rejoice, God will give power.”—A.B. Simpson