David wrote this psalm after his own son, Absalom, had staged a coup and had himself crowned king. David and his men (see 2 Samuel 15-19) fled Jerusalem and retreated across the Jordan River. Eventually, in a battle there, Absalom was killed and his army defeated. David was reinstated as king and returned to his capital.

1. From ground level (vv. 3-4) how does David describe his situation?


2. Do you think David feels resentment toward those who've placed him in harm's way?


3. How does David believe his antagonists evaluate his position?


4. How does a "bird's-eye" view (v. 7) alter the equation?


5. What key conviction about God does David repeat (vv. 1-2 & 5-6) to shore up his own confidence?


6. What does David see as his appropriate response to this confidence?


7. Why did David write so many psalms? What is his advice to his people (v. 8) when they face periods of stress?


8. Do you find that laying out your anxieties before God in prayer releases tensions you've been feeling?

Ask God to forgive you for worrying and for forgetting how much He loves you and cares for you.

¹I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. ²He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. ³So many enemies against one man—all of them trying to kill me. To them I'm just a broken-down wall or a tottering fence.

⁴They plan to topple me from my high position. They delight in telling lies about me. They praise me to my face but curse me in their hearts. ⁵Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. ⁶He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.

⁷My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. ⁸O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

Chorus for the Week

You are my hiding place.
You always fill my heart with songs
of deliverance, whenever I am afraid.
I will trust in you, I will trust in you.
Let the weak say I am strong in the strength of the Lord.
—Michael Ledner (©1981, CCCM Music, administered by Maranatha! Music)

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