Who is your enemy? Maybe more to the point – more inclusive in fact – “What” is your enemy? The reason I ask is because we all have them. Enemies might be those we dislike or desire to get rid of. Enemies may be in a far away place or even close by. But enemies are more than just people. They are also the “things” that get in the way in life. Maybe they get in the way of having a good time. Maybe they get in the way of living life in a normal way. Maybe they get in the way relationships, a job promotion, a much needed loan, or whatever it is we are trying to accomplish or achieve. Of course in this way, “enemy” must be understood a little more loosely. But then again, there are a lot of things working against us, and also, that we must “work against” in life.

King David in the Old Testament was no different. He had many enemies. In his early years he had King Saul pursing after him to kill him. He had to run for his life from Saul and his army many different times just to get away. When he became king he struggled against the enemies of different lands. Kings and princes from all over wanted what David had and would call him out to fight. David’s chief enemy, like for all of us, was sin. David of course fell into the trap of adultery as he took another man’s wife. He fell into the sin of murder as he had his mistress’s husband, Uriah the Hittite, placed on the front lines of battle and killed. David had enemies.

And he knew he needed the Lord’s help to conquer that which seemed to conquer him. He cries out in this Psalm written by his own hand and says, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life, you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.” This sounds like something David would write. With all that went on in his life…think about it. Who wouldn’t love to have a king’s life? Who wouldn’t want to be the most desirable and the most powerful? David had all of this. And yet he also had deep and dark trouble pursuing him every step of the way. Such things go hand and hand with a king’s life.

And you don’t have to be a king … right? “Walking in the midst of trouble” does not discriminate by age, color, gender, or economic status. For David there was more trouble that came his way when more responsibility was given to him. And that makes perfect sense. The more you have, the more there is to cause trouble. But that doesn’t stop us. We are a people who desire to have more. We always want what all of those other people who have power, who have status, who have so much more than we do. Why?

Famous people are put on pedestals and everyone wants to be like them. Our kids try to emulate them. We want to be them. We want what they have because they have mansions in exotic places and they have all the toys that seem to make life so happy and so “worth” living. They have so much and we have been led to believe that having all these things is the most important thing.

But have you ever considered the fact that these famous people who have all this stuff also have so much other stuff that hurts them, places an extra measure of burden on them, and distracts them from all that is really important? So, even King David would say, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble…” Who could have more than the most powerful king in the world at that time? Who could have more than King David? And with that in mind, who could have more troubles than him as well?

And yet we want to be like him, have what he has, etc… Beloved in the Lord, do not put your hope and trust and heart into earthly things. They falter – and guess what, they pass away and even cause more trouble for our lives. This is where we need our Lord so desperately. This is where we put aside earthly things that pass away and rely on our Lord that will preserve us eternally. David says, “…you preserve my life, you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.”

If this is what our Lord does for us, and indeed He does, then why don’t we rely on our Lord more? Go to Him in times of trouble and distress. He promises to preserve and take care. Our enemies will not triumph against us – whether that be a person, a nation, or things that have their deadly grip on our lives. The Lord is the one who keeps us safe with a loving endurance that lasts forever. And that is exactly what He does. For how long??? The Lord promises – forever!

David says, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.” There’s an old story about how in the days of exile in Babylon the people of Israel would witness a spiritual happening with false gods. Through the heart of the city of Babylon there ran a spacious boulevard. At one end of it there stood the temple to the false god Baal, and at the other end was the temple of the god Nebo. Once a year, as was the custom, a great ceremony would take place where the position of these gods was interchanged. There big statues were put onto wagons; these then bore them, bump, bump, bump, over the long cobbled street to their new site. The people of Israel must have seen this many times during their years of exile in a foreign land.

All of a sudden cries come forth, “Baal’s knees are giving way!” “Look, Nebo’s toppling over!” They actually put their gods on carts to be pulled by beasts of burden (Isaiah himself would speak of such dangers in his day – Isaiah 46). These false gods of the people of Babylon couldn’t even save themselves from toppling over in a cart much less save those who were pulling them.

God carries us in His enduring love. We do not carry God around in a cart – though some do – when their god is the things that they have. A god that can be pulled in a cart cannot save us from the things that trouble us each and every day. But our God who is above all things and has given everything for our life can save. And that is what He has done. Our God has called us His very own by giving us everything – by giving us His life for our lives. That’s an enduring love that lasts forever and could never topple over and break into a million pieces.

Beloved in the Lord, I know there are times when our lives feel like it is going in a million different directions or broken into a million different pieces. But never is it in Christ. In Christ and in His precious love He binds His broken people together. He eases our pain and calms our sufferings. “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me. His love endures forever.” When houses break (or flood), the Lord endures. When families break, the Lord endures. When lives break, the Lord endures. And because He does – I promise – so will you.

Who’s your enemy? All that draws you away from Christ – strife, calamity, difficulties – Because Christ endures forever. And in Christ, so do you. His blood, His life, His forgiveness endures. There is no other place to look than the cross. It’s yours because it has been given to you. Nothing can topple our Lord whose love and mercy endures forever. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.