If I would be like the Psalmist, I must clearly recognize my perils. He sees the |waters,| the |proud waters.| He beholds the |enemy,| and his |wrath,| and his |teeth.| He sees |the fowler| with his snare! I must not shut my eyes, and |make my judgment blind.| One of the gifts of grace is the spirit of discernment, the eyes which not only detect hidden treasure, but hidden foes. The devil is an expert in mimicry; he can make himself look like an angel of light. And so must I be able to discover his snares, even when they appear as the most seductive food.

And if I would be like the Psalmist, I must clearly recognize my great Ally. |If it has not been the Lord, who was on our side!| To see the Ally on the perilous field, and to see Him on my side, gives birth to holy confidence and song. |The Lord is on my side, whom shall I fear?| I must make sure of the Ally, and |victory is secure.|

And if I would be like the Psalmist, I must not omit the doxology of praise. When the prayer is answered, I am apt to forget the praise. My thanksgivings are not so ready as my requests. And so the apparently conquered enemy steals in again at the door of an ungrateful heart.