The Lord, My Defense

Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?  They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.  But the Lord Is my defense; and my God is the rock of my refuge.

Psalm 94: 20-22

‘For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity,’ thus we read in Psalm 125.  God understands our limitations.  He knows how much we can endure and for how long.  Therefore, although He will test our faith, and allow us to endure trials, perhaps at the hands of wicked people, He knows when it is time to bring those trials to an end and to give us respite.  In the case of the writer of Psalm 94, who has been struggling with the prosperity of the wicked, and apparently suffering under their oppression, God graciously brings him to the place of understanding by being his ‘defense’ and ‘refuge.’  This is the ultimate landing place for all of the people of God in all ages.  Most specifically this brings us to Christ, Who has ever been the great Defender of His people.  One of the most striking scenes in the life of Christ, was when He faced the mob in the Garden of Gethsemane and said, in reference to his disciples, ‘If therefore you seek me, let these go their way.’  Christ placed Himself between His people and the wicked.  He does so in situation after situation in order to accomplish in the lives of His Own all that will do them good.  Today, we rest upon Christ, Who is our ‘defense’ and ‘the rock of my refuge.’

O, Christ, our Great Defender,
we rejoice that You stand between us and our enemies.
We praise You that even when they do their worst,
You will turn it to our good and Your Glory.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning