Psalm 3:1-8
Ten Thousand to One

A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.

LORD, how they have increased who trouble me!
        Many are they who rise up against me.
Many are they who say of me,
        "There is no help for him in God."    Selah

But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,
        My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
I cried to the LORD with my voice,
        And He heard me from His holy hill.    Selah

I lay down and slept;
        I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
        Who have set themselves against me all around.

Arise, O LORD;
        Save me, O my God!
        For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
        You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Salvation belongs to the LORD.
        Your blessing is upon Your people.    Selah

New King James Version

I probably have not reached ten thousand yet. But if I count up all the emails and voice messages on my desk at work that are waiting for my response, all the items overdue on my "to do" list, and all the discussions in progress and answers due back to me that will result in more work, I feel a sense of despair that I cannot possibly do everything people need for me to do. I don't like disappointing people at my job, but I do so every day. It's a law of physics that clocks and calendars progress steadily in only one direction, and I can't stop time or make time take a detour so I can get some of these ten thousand things done before the situations start to feel critical.

But why should I think Psalm 3 applies to me?

First, David was running for his life from his own son, who, in righteous indignation over David's handling of a horrible wrong, had promised to kill him and take over as king. Absolom had an army of Hebrew warriors who once had served David and now rejected him, and David was struggling to find warriors who had remained loyal and who would be willing to risk their lives to defend him. I am not dealing with traitors, there are no sharp spears being thrown at me, so no matter what happens at work, my life is likely to go on. This psalm is about more serious challenges than what I face!

Still, gnawing at the edges of my consciousness are worries of what might happen to my career of the wrong person gets upset because I am late on the wrong project. People who I respect might lose respect for me if they believe I'm not up to their standards. I might even be risking friendships if my inability to handle the workload puts them in a difficult situation. I must remember that I don't have to have death threats, or even career threats, to trust God with my worries!

Second, David was in a helpless state. He could not bring himself to seek to kill his own son, he couldn't find enough soldiers, and he, too, grieved over the same wrong that drove Absolom to rebellion. David had no where else to turn but God, and I am not at all helpless in my ugly situation (at least not yet). Most of the people I disappoint are understanding, and only a few have complained to my boss that my work was late. I can be more skillful at juggling schedules so that no one task is "too late". I can show a supportive and concerned attitude to people when they call to ask me how their project is going. I am skipping less important details, hoping my coworkers don't need my help as much, working more weekends and evenings, and reminding myself often that several of these projects will end soon.

However, God does not want to be my "last resort" in desperate situations like David's--God wants to be our "first resort" in every situation! What God wants most for us is that our lives would be vibrant evidence of God's Love in everything we do, that this Love in us would rise above every worry and every concern, and that this Love would bring us more joy than the best successes we might have.

David cries out to God for protection, not as a person asking another person for a favor, but as a subject begging a king for help. God answered from the "holy hill", God responded even before David asked, and God was the source of both salvation and blessings. The most telling fault of David's enemies was not that they opposed David, but that they chose to decide for God what should happen to David.

My work life certainly feels out of control this month, as it has in other months and other parts of my life. I know with certainty that there will be times with ten thousand opposing me again. But if what I seek is a feeling of control, I am seeking the wrong thing. I need that reminder that my goal should always be to let God control, to keep releasing my will and letting God's Will rule in my life.