"Moving in Circles"

"How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?" (Psalms 13:2) If you have ever been in the middle of an ocean when the sun is straight up above you, then you would know that without a compass or a guidance system, you have absolutely no way of knowing which direction you are going in; everything looks the same in all directions, and you have nothing that you can set a bearing on. To make matters worse, the current of the ocean turns you in different directions; so you could literally be going in circles and not even know it; wouldn't that be fun? Yet, this is how it is for us when we are moving without the guidance of the Lord. David is talking about something very similar to moving in circles when he says, "how long shall I take counsel in my soul"; which is like saying, How long will I take guidance from within myself? Whenever we find ourselves moving in our own strength, it is much like one of those windup toys; the ones which shuffle along till they hit something, and then move in another direction. This kind of motion is bound to cause discouragement, to say the very least; or as David says, "having sorrow in my heart daily". There will always be opposition to anything that God calls us into, and if there is not any opposition, then I would wonder if it is of God or not. However, the difference in that which is of God and for the one being led by God, is that when there is opposition, those who are led by God will face the opposition and watch for God to remove it. This is the number one play that the enemy has in his playbook; to cause us to be discouraged and to turn away; and when we turn away, we turn from that which God would have blessed us in, and from that which was the real direction. The enemy wins when he causes us to give up; and we can see this played out in several different ways within the Scriptures. One such example that comes to mind, is that of the children of Israel the first time brought them to the Promise Land. How was it that they could let a few giants cause them to turn away? After seeing all that God had done to deliver them from bondage in Egypt; yet, they let discouragement take root in their hearts, and lost faith in a mighty and powerful God. And what did that cost them? Forty years of wondering in circles in the wilderness; which is forty years of wasted time, and the cost of a whole generation who missed out on the blessing that God had meant for them. "How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?" Good question for those of us to ask, who might be moving around in circles! How long will the enemy appear to be stronger than I can bear, and too strong for my God to deal with? Better yet: How long will I exalt my enemy over my God??? "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)