By: Carrie Bantz

“O 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?”

Oh Psalms, there you go again. Your verses are plastered on journals, iPhone wallpapers, and Instagram captions, but what do you really mean?

I came across this Psalm one morning and thought okay, I am doing pretty well with the whole enemies thing. I don’t have anyone “hounding me” or attacking me from all sides (can’t relate, David), but then the Lord rocked my world.

He shook me and it made me realize something, I do have enemies. Some more vicious and brutal then any soldier with a sword or lion with sharp teeth. I have the one which all evil stems from hunting my soul, looking to devour it.

This enemy is not one that I can see, which makes it all the more dangerous. This enemy is in the deepest corners of my heart, the places where all the doubt, insecurities, fear, shame, and regret reside.

We live in such a physical world where “we have to see to believe”. Friends, that is the biggest lie of all! We live in a world of lies, of perfect Instagram accounts full of beautiful people when they are the ones feeling most insecure. A world where people say they are “fine” and then they take bottles of pills and don’t live to see another day. A world where we are obsessed with materialism and perfecting an image when really we are crying out for acceptance.

Wake up.

This enemy we read about is not one that only exists in this old book we call the bible, he is real and causes destruction everywhere. He is flourishing because most of us are unable to recognize him, myself included.

But friends, there is hope!

Thank the Lord Psalm 56 doesn’t end here, our Father did not abandon us. We have a hope that makes this enemy cower even at the mention of his name. We have a Father who knitted us together and who sent Himself in the form of our pitiful selves, all to take the punishment that the enemy craves for us to experience.

So when we are afraid, when we reach the end of ourselves, we can reach out our hands to the Father. He will be there. His promises are the strongest defense we have against the darkness of this world, and lucky us, we have an entire book of them.

So the next time you come across a journal at TJ Maxx quoting a Psalm, take that as a message from God himself. These words aren’t meant to be skimmed over or for decoration. They are promises from our merciful Father who loves us more than we could ever imagine.

Carrie Bantz is a sophomore at Miami University, studying Marketing. She is currently studying abroad in Luxembourg. You can read her blog, Carried By The King, and follow along at @carriebantz on Instagram.