February 2nd

Rise up, O Lord, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by Your sword. 
Psalm 17:13

Our adversary accuses us and tells us that our God is asleep or that He doesn’t care. This is not the attitude of David, the psalmist, who wrote this psalm. His faith was repeatedly tried and tested by adverse circumstances and determined adversaries. David did not hesitate to call on the Lord to defend him or rescue him. The phrase, rise up, does not mean from His bed, but from His holy throne. From this place, the Lord can surely see every detail of the situation. David was not afraid of calling on the Lord to be his warrior to confront them.

The forces of wickedness are directly opposed to God’s holiness and righteousness. When one lives a righteous life, he can call on the Lord to fight for him and bring down his enemies. The sword in this case is not only the sword used in battle, but the sword that defeats the hosts of wickedness in the spiritual realm, called the Word of God. The Word of God is our offensive weapon, the word of truth which slays the plans of the wicked.