DEFENSE!!!

Psalm 59: 1-4, 8-9

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
Defend me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
And save me from bloodthirsty men.
3 For look, they lie in wait for my life;
The mighty gather against me,
Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD.
4 They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine.
8 But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them;
You shall have all the nations in derision.
9 I will wait for You, O You his Strength;
For God is my defense.


Perhaps some of the most grueling hours of a surgical resident’s week are spent in weekly Morbidity and Mortality conference defending his or her choices made anywhere from the emergency department to the operating room. Any potential errors in thinking or practice are identified. These conferences, fondly called “M&M’s” are anything but sweet. They are mandatory for residents as well as staff and provide a platform for intense evaluation incidences leading to severe illness and even death. Inherent to the practice of medicine are errors as both individual surgeons as well as entire teams. Misteps unfortunately happen. One of the things that I liked best about my Ohio surgical program, is that though a single individual presented the error she did so on the behalf of the entire team, including the senior surgeon. There were tough questions as to why certain tests were performed or not. Why certain operations were selected over others. Why was this or that medication given? Why? Why? Why! It could be brutal! Most of the questions fell squarely on this single person’s shoulders whether he or she was directly involved or not. Sometimes the resident, being a trainee, would offer an inadequate answer, that would go on and on and on! Because she was unsure of herself and intimidated by the questioning, she fell into an immobilizing fear that prevented her from thinking clearly and providing logical explanations.

Invariably, the senior surgeon would feel sympathy for the resident and chime in, providing superior insight to the issue. It was at those moments you would see the nervous presenter release a huge sigh of relief. Having singularly carried the burden of an entire team’s error to the podium, it was finally clear to all that she did not stand alone. She had a defense all along, even when she allowed fear to compel her to fight her own battle; talking her way into a huge mess!

There are times in life, often through no fault of our own, when we are in vulnerable positions physically, emotionally or spiritually. We find our proverbial backs against the wall, wondering if and when anyone will stand up and defend us. Perhaps we are wrongly accused of making negative comments about a friend or belittled for an innocent error at work. Maybe a boss or colleague are jealous of your recent performance and are quietly sabotaging your work. There are those of us who are in abusive familial and personal relationships. We feel isolated and immobilized by our fear. Psalm 59 is a beautiful song written by David to the chief Musician, Altas'chith, and describes the fierce hatred that David faced in his early reign. His enemies are described as “mighty” and “blood thirsty men” (v. 2) and yet David was confident that the Lord would deliver and defend him! It can be difficult as a believer to know that people don’t like you or even that they are seeking to harm you. We must not be distracted by the person. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” People lacking the love and light of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ fall prey to the influence of Satan. Sadly, many of your worst haters are simply insecure, miserable people in need of prayer, love and a relationship with Jesus. They are being used by the enemy to hurt you, and unbeknownst to them, themselves. Thank God that we know who our true enemy is and we can be like David; resting on the promise of Divine Defense! I can remember my mother quoting Psalm 59:19 to her children: “…When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” You may feel a flood of hatred and malice coming your way. Just know that are not alone. The Holy Spirit is lifting a standard even now. This battle is not yours to fight. The hardest questions aren’t yours to answer. Lean and depend on God. He knows there is a battle. It’s just not yours to fight. God is with you…waiting for you to pause. Put your physical and emotional fists down. Allow God to put forth a stronger defense than you ever could. A defense that simply can’t be beat!

Dr.’s Orders:  These are tough orders, but you can do this!

1) Today, pray a directed prayer against Satan’s influence on those you interact with. If there is a particular person that you know has malicious feelings toward you, intercede for that persons health, family and spiritual deliverance. Ask God to meet their every need and to free them from the influence of spiritual wickedness.
2) Commit an act of kindness toward the individual in order #1. Offer to buy them lunch or complete a shared task in their name. Make a conscious effort to allow the Fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5 be seen operating in your life. God will be glorified and in the end you win!