He woke me in the middle of the night, causing my heart to beat wildly.
I’d never faced this enemy before, and my heart raced as if awakened by a bad dream. After five minutes, I woke my wife who called the ambulance. After a shot and a hospital visit, I was sent to a cardiologist who diagnosed the enemy as tachycardia—from two Greek words meaning “rapid” and “of the heart.” Fortunately, mine was treatable with medicine.
David’s enemy wasn’t physical but people and predators. He killed lions and bears when they tried to steal his sheep, and he killed a giant who insulted his God. In ancient Near Eastern culture, the host of a banquet protected their guests at all costs. God was David’s host: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies” (Psalm 23:5 KJV).
Enemies aren’t always people wanting to rob or kill us because of what we have or because they dislike us. Enemies often show up as pain, suffering, disease, and injury. No one enjoys an enemy who changes our physical lifestyle and ability. And the pain may alert us that something is amiss, but we don’t enjoy it continually.
Life’s a banquet and God is the host, protecting us. But this doesn’t mean we’ll never contract a disease, be the victims of criminal acts, experience tragedy, lose our possessions, or have our family fall apart. These and other things happen to God’s children daily.
God’s protection is positional and eternal. When accepted as his child, nothing can steal us from his family or take the eternity of heaven he promises. Sin in all its disguises may assault us, but God’s grace enables us to endure and overcome any enemy it sends.
Trust in God when the enemy strikes.
Photo by Jaka Škrlep on Unsplash
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