David felt trampled on and oppressed all day long. He must have been in a bad place – the heading of Psalm 56 tells us he had fled to Gath. Where is Gath? It’s Goliath’s hometown! David is not going to receive a warm welcome there! He’s fled from Saul and ended up in Gath where he is seized by the Philistines. He feels there is no escape, no respite, it goes on “all day long”. All the time there are people lurking, watching his steps, waiting for his life.
We may not face this level of trouble, but in our reading from Acts, Paul tells us that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22). Paul had just been stoned to the point of death (something he later describes as light and momentary compared to the glory coming! The glory of heaven must be really glorious!). Hopefully, we don’t face that level of hostility, but if we follow Jesus, we should expect tribulations. Maybe people treat you badly because you follow Jesus, maybe you do feel trampled on and oppressed. If so what should you do?
Look what David does – in the midst of his terrifying ordeal he sings – “when I am afraid, I put my trust in you…in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (v3-4)
He looks up to the almighty God and trusts that He is greater than any enemy he faces. But then, like any of us, he casts an eye back on the threat. This is the rollercoaster of faith, peaks and troughs, faith and fear. What can flesh do to me? Well, it can kill me! The enemies are still there lurking around, (v6), but then David looks back to God, and knows that God knows all about His troubles. David reminds himself that God has kept count of all his troubles, even the number of his tears. How reassuring, God won’t give him more than trouble than he can cope with. He knew something of the reality that “In heaven we shall see that we had not one trial too many.” (Spurgeon).
David ends the Psalm in confident thanksgiving that God will deliver him and lead him to walk before God in the light of life.
How can we know the reality of this Psalm? You and I are not king David, but King Jesus also sang this Psalm. David’s troubles as the anointed king were only a shadow of what his great grandson would face as he was trampled on and oppressed. He trusted God and yet he discovered what flesh could do to him, they could kill him. Yet even as Jesus faced death for us, He knew God would deliver him from death and he would walk before God, with all His people in the light of life.
If you trust in the Lord Jesus, then you can sing this Psalm, knowing that even when you feel trampled on and oppressed, God knows and numbers your tears, He cares and one day He will deliver your soul from death that you may walk before God in the light of resurrection life.
Light and Momentary Troubles 
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