Psalm 3 makes me think of my troubles. It causes me to think of the “enemies” I have at work. OK, they’re not really enemies, but they always seem to be against me. If I make a decision to use red, then I should have used black. If I say, “turn left,” then I should have said, “turn right.” It’s as if they’re out to get me; it’s as if nothing I do is the right thing to do. And guess who tells me these things? My bosses, of course. The ones with the power.
So, I feel helpless. I feel victimized, pressured, threatened. But you know what? I’m thinking about the minutia of life, about the little things that really have no impact upon my eternal security. If I pull the wool off my eyes and see the big picture of life and death, of heaven and hell . . . I realize that my enemies can do nothing to me, regardless of the power they seem to wield in this present time.
The Lord is my shield. He is my glory. He is the lifter of my head. If I meditate on His Word and focus on His faithfulness, the small troubles that surround me in my day to day life simply fall away.
3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah Psalm 3:3-4 (ESV)
David had it a lot worse than I have it. He had people trying to kill him. Absalom, his own son, was after him, trying to murder him. David didn’t just have nagging bosses; he had real enemies trying to end his life. It’s time for us, especially us Christians here in America, to stop whining and realize how good we have it. Especially me. We may have our daily struggles, and those who seem to be enemies, but if we turn our hearts to God and give Him all the glory, He will sustain us, protect us, and ultimately, give us an eternal home with Him.
We do have it good. I personally am sick and tired of the idea that for some reason, just because we’re Christians, we should be rich and wealthy. What about the people in third world countries? One person whose message that I find very offensive in this area is Joel Osteen. From the things I have watched and read about him, he makes us think we aren’t doing things right because we are not doing well. My bible tells me that we are servants of God, and that because of this, we will be persecuted also, just like Jesus was persecuted. It also says that we should take joy in this and carry on with our work.
Not too sure who Joel Osteen is, but I can tell you that the Prosperity Gospel is a mutation of the truth.