“…steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.”
Psalm 32:10 ESV
I’ve always loved this scene in the movies. The bad guy seems to have the upper hand. He stands sneering with his finger on the trigger of the weapon pointed at the good guy, and then an unseen voice says, “Throw down your gun—we’ve got you surrounded.” Hooray, the good guys win, and all is right with the world.
We live in troubling times. It seems the “good guys” are the ones most often surrounded. Of course, the term “good guys” is subjective depending on your worldview, but set that discussion aside.
Today, we have wars in geographic pockets around the globe with threats of escalating conflicts elsewhere. There are moral battles on every front: abuse, cruelty, poverty, hunger, injustice, and a growing intolerance for God, religion, and any opinion that doesn’t fall in line with today’s accepted narrative. We seem to be surrounded by an ever-increasing evil.
This past week, I found two quotes by a World War II and Korean War hero, Lieutenant General (LtGen) Lewis “Chesty” Burwell Puller. Chesty is one of the most decorated Marines and the only Leatherneck ever to receive the Navy Cross five times for heroism in action. He was a dynamic and colorful military leader. His quotes are a remaining legacy; these two provide an interesting perspective on being “surrounded.”
“We’ve been looking for the enemy for some time now. We’ve finally found him. We’re surrounded. That simplifies things.”
“All right. They’re on our left, they’re on our right, they’re in front of us, they’re behind us, they outnumber us 29:1—they can’t get away this time.”
Lewis Burwell Puller (Chesty) Lt. General (Marines 1918-1955) *
LtGen Puller’s perspective was considerably broader than his immediate and apparent surroundings. That expansive point of view was one of many qualities that fueled Chesty’s ability to lead his troops to victory time after time.
There’s a lesson here for us. We will be overwhelmed and likely defeated if we focus only on our immediate surroundings. We must broaden our scope to see with our eyes and know in our hearts that God’s work expands far beyond our limited line of vision.
God surrounds whatever may be surrounding us.
In Judges 16:1-3, the Gazites had Samson trapped behind the gated walls that surrounded Gaza. They were confident Samson was theirs. “But…at midnight, he (Samson) arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts and pulled them up bar and all and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.”
Empowered by the Spirit of God, the surrounding walls and gates could not hold Samson. He escaped the city, carrying the massive city gate with him. Samson left the gate on a hill almost 40 miles away to remind the Philistines that the battle was not just with a man—they were battling God and His Spirit-filled man.
2 Samuel 23:11-12 tells the story of Shammah, one of King David’s mighty men, who stood alone in a field of lentils surrounded by Philistine soldiers. It looked like an easy win for the enemy. Scripture says Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field and defended it when all others abandoned him. The lone warrior struck down the Philistines because “the Lord worked a great victory.” Had Shammah let his immediate surroundings (and his peers) dictate his actions, he would have fled the fight and missed being a part of God’s miraculous defeat of the Philistines.
2 Kings 6:8-23. Finally, look at the story of the prophet Elisha and his servant. They awake to find their home surrounded by the Syrian army—the enemy of Israel. The servant is overwhelmed by his despair because of the surrounding army.
Elisha calmly assures his servant that the army with them is greater than the surrounding army. The prophet said there was no reason to fear. Seeing his servant’s great fear, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see” (2 Kings 6:14).
God opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw horses and chariots of fire. God’s army surrounded the Syrian battalion and stood ready to battle for Elisha and his servant if God gave the word.
In each of these events, God’s men—a warrior judge, King David’s mighty man, and a prophet of God—looked beyond the threatening circumstances surrounding them to see who ultimately encompassed the whole.
When you diligently (I’m not saying perfectly) walk with God and strive to be obedient in heart, mind, and spirit, you can know that whatever enemy may surround you, God’s presence enfolds and strengthens you. And, friend, He encircles the enemy that would attack you.
You are a hiding place for me; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah.
Psalm 32:7
When you feel attacked on every side—surrounded by the enemy—remember this:
- Whatever evil surrounds you, it is smaller than the God surrounding you.
“You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah …Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.”
Psalm 32:7, 10 ESV
- When life circumstances surround and attack you, know that it is an opportunity for you to participate in God’s victory over that situation.
“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.”
Psalms 118:6-7 ESV
- God doesn’t need to run to our rescue when we cry for help or run into a bad situation. Because He never leaves or forsakes us (Deut. 31:8). His loving, mighty arms hold us always.
“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.”
Psalm 125:2 ESV
Know this: when you are under attack, surrounded by the enemy, there is a mighty voice speaking to your attacker, “Drop that weapon. I’ve got you surrounded!” You may not hear it, but you can know it is being said.
Feeling surrounded? You bet you are! Forever and always.