Psalms 56: God is On My Side, What Can Mere Mortals Do to Me?

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Psalms 56 - God is On My Side, What Can Mere Mortals Do To Me

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What joy and peace there is when, like David in Psalms 56, we can say, “This I know: God is on my side.” What comfort in knowing that no matter how turbulent our circumstances, when God is for us, we don’t need to fear. Nothing is happening that He doesn’t see. We don’t face any of it alone. And if that is true, then why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?

Something I’ve learned as I’ve shared the ugly of my story over the past several months is that there is something beautiful that happens in the body of Christ when we open up and let other believers see how far from perfect we really are. There is unity that comes from that place of vulnerability. People suddenly start to feel like maybe they aren’t alone and find the freedom to share their own struggles.

What I’ve learned from the many women who have contacted me in these months is that my story is not very unique. Not even in the church. And that’s really sad. The prevalence of sexual addiction and the abuse that inevitably shows up in marriages when it is present is overwhelming. But the Bible reminds me in passages like Psalms 56 that God sees it all. He’s working in spite of it, and He can be trusted.

So today I want to use this beautiful passage from the Word of God to encourage and inspire those of us who find ourselves down in the trenches of life. May we each find peace and joy and hope in our Lord and Savior and in His constant love and faithfulness to us!

Psalms 56

Oh God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long.
I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me.
But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what He has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?

They are always twisting what I say; they spend their days plotting to harm me.
They come together to spy on me – watching my every step, eager to kill me.
Don’t let them get away with their wickedness; in Your anger, Oh God, bring them down.

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle.
You have recorded each one in Your book.

My enemies will retreat when I call to You for help. This I know: God is on my side!
I praise God for what He has promised; yes, I praise the Lord for what He has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?

I will fulfill my vows to You, Oh God, and I will offer a sacrifice of thanks for Your help.
For You have rescued me from death; You have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in Your presence, Oh God, in Your life-giving light!

When I Am Afraid, I Will Put My Trust in You

There is an ugliness that comes with sexual addictions.  I don’t know if it’s the deep internal guilt, or if the hearts of the addicts are just so hard it makes them mean.  But something causes so many of these men (there are probably women too, I just don’t really know about that.) to attack the wives they have already betrayed and hurt so badly.  They blame.  They name-call. They tear down every ounce of self-worth they can get their hands on.  If they know of a weapon (a dirty secret or a shameful reaction) they use it.

One man I know of even had his wife put in jail.  First he cheated on her for 16 years, lying to her all along and leading a double life, then he dragged her through months of painful discovery as he admitted to only bits and pieces of his infidelity and sinfulness.  Finally, he told her that he wanted a divorce. In her desperation and anger she pushed him into the counter and he scratched his arm on the dish strainer. HE pressed assault charges against HER and now she’s the one with the criminal record!  Can you even imagine? 

Other men have turned pastors and even whole churches against their wives by keeping their own sins a secret while telling anyone who would listen lies and distorted half-truths about these desperately hurting ladies.

But the sad part is, this is far from the only sin that causes people to be hurtful and abusive to other people. Betrayal (of all kinds, not just infidelity) runs rampant in human relationships. And when we read through the Bible, especially the Psalms, we find it’s been the case for quite awhile. Chances are, it’s not changing anytime soon.

So our goal can’t be to find a way to make everyone else act honorably. Instead, we have to learn how we can respond with integrity to the brokenness in this world.

Psalms 56:1-7 – Oh God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long.
I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me.
But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what He has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?

They are always twisting what I say; they spend their days plotting to harm me.
They come together to spy on me – watching my every step, eager to kill me.
Don’t let them get away with their wickedness; in Your anger, Oh God, bring them down.

I am amazed at the unshakable faith so many of the brave women I’ve had the honor to meet through this ministry have, even though they feel much like David did when he penned this beautiful psalm.  They are being hounded, and slandered, and they are under constant attack!  Their lives are in ruins. Their minds are plagued by fear and depression.  Their futures here on this earth are so uncertain, they can’t see even a shadow of what lies ahead.

Yet in the midst of their fear these precious sisters put their trust in the Lord!  They cling to His promises. They understand that they are under the care of the High King of Heaven and mere men can do nothing that He doesn’t allow.  They somehow find the strength to believe that if He is allowing the pain and the misery then He will use it for their good and His glory!  They appeal to Him, as David did, to rescue them.  What glorious faith!

Ladies, you are true treasures!  I am so blessed by your steadfast loyalty to our great God and so honored that you have trusted me with your stories!  Your Heavenly Father is so very pleased with your faith, and you are so precious to Him! Keep trusting Him, keep obeying Him. He’s going to come through and make beauty from these ashes.

This I Know: God is On My Side

How I wish I could somehow fix all of our stories, and make them into fairy-tales. But I can’t. What I can do, is reassure us all that God cares. I can look at Scripture and say with confidence that when sin hurts us, He hurts too.  These sins are a betrayal against Him as well and he feels every sting, every sorrow. 

Psalms 56:8 – You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in Your bottle.
You have recorded each one in Your book.

Don’t you just love the picture of God collecting our tears in His bottle? (Some of us may need buckets!) It reminds me of the verses in Isaiah that talk about a day when He will wipe away every tear.  He is collecting each one, recording them, so that one glorious day He can wipe them all away!  What a beautiful promise! I pray it brings you hope and encouragement and the strength to face another day! 

He loves you so much!

You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. Psalms 56:6

What Can Mere Mortals Do to Me?

I don’t know when, and I don’t know how, but I do know that God will ease your suffering dear sisters, one way or another.  That day is coming!

Psalms 56:9-11 – My enemies will retreat when I call to You for help.
This I know: God is on my side!
I praise God for what He has promised;
yes, I praise the Lord for what He has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?

We know the enemy (the forces of darkness) will retreat at the sound of His mighty Name. There is comfort in that promise and confidence too, so let’s call to Him for help. Because this is the promise – God is on your side!

Sometimes He asks us to wait a very long time before He reveals the purposes of His plans.  It can be so hard to wait!  But He always provides what we need to get through it. I know you already are, but let’s call to Him together once more.

“Dear God, help my precious sisters!  They are wounded warriors in this dark battle.  Upset the plots of their enemies.  Take care of the details that weigh them down.  Give them hope and help them to feel Your love! 

They are being torn apart by mere men.  You are God!  All powerful.  All knowing.  Mighty to save.  Perfect in all of Your ways.  You can change these men.  I’ve seen it.  You can redeem these stories! I’m living it!  You can provide for their every need.  You hold us all in Your mighty hands. 

Help these women, Your faithful followers, Your dearly loved daughters!  Wrap Your loving arms around them and hold them close.  They are more precious than rubies! We are trusting in You!

Psalms 56:12-13 – I will fulfill my vows to You, Oh God, and I will offer a sacrifice of thanks for Your help.
For You have rescued me from death; You have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in Your presence, Oh God, in Your life-giving light!

Praise Him! In Jesus’s Name, amen!”

Cherith Peters

Cherith Peters

I am a wife, mother, and passionate follower of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. After the realities of my husband's sexual addiction and infidelities finally came to a head, I began blogging about our journey to healing. God has worked many miracles in our life and marriage since then, and grown a ministry committed to helping others find the healing in Christ that changed our story forever!

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23 thoughts on “Psalms 56: God is On My Side, What Can Mere Mortals Do to Me?”

    1. Thank-you Kate! What a great question, I could probably dedicate an entire post to answer it. Maybe I will soon. I think there is a lot to learn from Job’s friends about what NOT to do… and I think the verse that says, “rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.” Is a good starting place. Any advise that is given should be backed by Scripture. Look for ways to speak truth into their situations… distortions of reality are weapon #1 of the enemy! You have inspired me. I am going to start working on a post about this. Thanks!

  1. Yes, thank you Esther Hosea! God has given you a true gift with the way you express scripture and put into words your inspiring thoughts. Your blogs are so precious and beautiful and incredibly helpful for so many. Thank you so much for writing this!!!

  2. Ah dear Esther…another lovingly written post from your heart. You are a gift of hope to many women in the words you’ve sent out today. I have never walked in your shoes but I know women who have. Your words, though heartbreaking, resound truth in what women whose spouses struggle in this way go through. Continue to bless and encourage these women. May the Lord continue to use you as a vessel of healing. God bless you sister.

    1. Thank-you Rosie! Your encourager’s heart is such an inspiration to me! I want to be like you – using the gifts He gives to honor Him!

    1. Jennifer, Yes, yes, yes!!! So sorry for your pain, but love to see a heart committed to God and His timing! Keep fighting for His glory, the rewards will be eternal!!!

  3. Very inspiring post. Thank you for shining light on a topic that is often discussed from a carnal perspective and not from a godly perspective. I will be praying for women that are experiencing this in their lives.

  4. So powerfully and tenderly written, may Elohim comfort all the broken hearted and give them beauty for ashes.. I am rejoicing with you as I read that the Lord is raising you with healing on your wings to bless many, many other ladies…

  5. A very powerful post ….I may not have experienced this but I know women and a friend who has gone through this road….We need to speak up and pray more on this topic
    Have a great day

  6. It’s amazing how the Lord works! My husband and I will be sharing our testimony at church this coming Sunday, and I “stumbled” onto your blog tonight. Two years ago, he admitted to me his addiction to porn. It was a very dark time, but I am so thankful for what the Lord has done! You keep sharing this message. Sexual sin is the secret sin that no one wants to talk about, but it’s the one destroying us.

    1. That is so encouraging Sabrina! I’m so glad God is using your story for His glory! I will pray that He speaks through both of you this Sunday morning! It is definitely a topic that needs a lot more attention from the church! We have the only answer, and we’re too often turning a blind eye so that we don’t have to be uncomfortable. Praising God for people like you and your husband who are standing in the gap and shedding light into the darkness! God bless!

  7. I pick one or two and seems like they are exactly what my soul needs to recieve at that time Thank ou so much for being YOU!! Helping with Gods word we all need

  8. Thank you for speaking encouragement and God’s Word into a situation where so many families and churches have been left broken! One of my favorite names for God is Emmanuel, God with us. One of the best things we can do is just be “with” those who are suffering…both those that suffer from the addiction and those that are betrayed.

    1. Amen! I love that. If Job’s friends had been able to learn that lesson, Job would have had a much easier go of it!

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Verse of the Day
John 14:26 - 27 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative – that is, the Holy Spirit – He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.
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