What can mere man do to me?

Psalm 56 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Supplication for Deliverance and Grateful Trust in God.

Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me;

Fighting all day long he oppresses me.
² My foes have trampled upon me all day long,
For they are many who fight proudly against me.
³ When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
⁴ In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
What can mere man do to me?
⁵ All day long they distort my words;
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
⁶ They attack, they lurk,
They watch my steps,
As they have waited to take my life.
⁷ Because of wickedness, cast them forth,
In anger put down the peoples, O God!

⁸ You have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in Your book?
⁹ Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call;
This I know, that God is for me.
¹⁰ In God, whose word I praise,
In the Lord, whose word I praise,
¹¹ In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
¹² Your vows are binding upon me, O God;
I will render thank offerings to You.
¹³ For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling,
So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.

The psalmist declares the type of confidence with which we as believers should live our lives. In the life of every believer there will be difficult times, challenges of different types even attacks against us or persecution we might face.   Jesus says: "Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."(John 16:32-33)

The psalmist says:  In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? Jesus says:  “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!  ²⁶ “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. ²⁸ Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:24-28) As believers we need to live with our eyes and hearts set on eternity, knowing that regardless of what happens in this life time, to our physical bodies, we have eternity in the presence of God to look forward to. In 2 Corinthians 5:7-9,  Paul says:

 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— ⁷ for we walk by faith, not by sight— ⁸ we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. ⁹ Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.

The key for us though is that we need not make a choice of whether we live for today or we live for eternity. God created us in His image and likeness. Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth,(Genesis 1:26) Created in the image and likeness of God, we are body, soul and spirit. Our bodies live and are subject to the things of this world. Our soul is what God has made to be eternal. The psalmist says: “You have delivered my soul from death”    Ephesians 2:5-7 says: 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.…Colossians 3:1-2 says: Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.… The key for us though is this:  For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.

Because we are also spiritual, we can walk with God, even in the midst of trials and tribulation. Jesus says: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.(John 10:10) The psalmist says: Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. ² For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. ³ Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. ⁴ Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. ⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday. ⁷ Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;(Psalm 37:1-7) and:    He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!”(Psalm 91:1-2)

Our spirit is one with God, through His indwelling Holy Spirit. We are able to abide and dwell in the presence of God by the Spirit. It is that indwelling presence of God, that ability we have to abide and dwell in Him, which gives us the confidence to walk through the difficult times we face. The psalmist says: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me (Psalm 23:4) Even death is a mere shadow when we walk with God, in Christ. What can mere man do to me?  You have delivered my soul from death, thank You Lord.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit: Thank You that You created me in Your image and likeness. I am body, soul and spirit. Because of the cross You have saved my soul. Because of Your Spirit which lives within me, I can abide, dwell and walk in Your presence. Thank You, for the promise of eternity that I have with You. But also help me to remember and empower me to live because it is not just for eternity that You have called me. You have called me to  walk before God In the light of the living. Jesus, You said: "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.(Matthew 5:16) That’s my prayer, that the confidence and faith others see in me as I walk through the difficulties of this world, abiding in You, will glorify You.    Amen