Psalm 143:9 NKJV
Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies;
In You I take shelter.
Finding Strength in God’s Protection
MY NOTES
“Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; In You I take shelter.” Psalm 143:9 (NKJV)
There is a huge difference between running away because you are a coward and running away because you are wise. In our modern culture of self-reliance, we are constantly told to stand our ground, white-knuckle our way through adversity, and prove how strong we are. We treat retreating as a sign of weakness.
But when you find yourself completely outnumbered and outmatched by the storms of life, standing there trying to fight in your own strength isn’t brave—it’s spiritual foolishness.
In Psalm 143:9, David—a literal giant-killer and a seasoned military commander—unabashedly beats a retreat. He cries out, “Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; in You I take shelter.”
If you look closely at the original Hebrew text, the phrase for “In You I take shelter” literally translates to, “I hide myself with thee.” David’s enemies were lively, strong, and actively hunting for his soul. He knew he couldn’t overcome them or outmaneuver them on his own. So, what did this great warrior do? He fled. He ran as fast as his spiritual legs could carry him, straight into the presence of Jehovah.
An old commentator, Sir Richard Baker, beautifully captured this moment by asking: “Is David’s valor come to this, that he is glad to fly? Had he not done better to have died valiantly than to fly basely?” He then answers his own question: “To fly is not always a sign of baseness… to fly when we feel our own weakness, and to Him to fly, in whom is our strength—this is true valor.”
When the winds of trouble blow hard against us, they can actually be a “good” ill wind if they blow us straight into the arms of God. Notice what David did not do. He didn’t run to human advisors to vent. He tells us that he hid his affairs and his troubles from men and revealed them only to God.
Even more importantly, David refused to take shelter in the counterfeit hiding places of this world. When we are under attack, under stress, or deeply hurt, our natural instinct is to seek shelter in something that numbs the pain. We run to sinful pleasures, the mindless distractions of entertainment, toxic self-reliance, cold bitterness, or deep-seated vengeance. But David knew those earthly shelters were made of cardboard—they collapse at the first sign of rain. He was determined to make the Lord his only asylum.
There is also an important poetic contrast happening in this chapter. Just two verses earlier, David begged God, “Hide not Your face from me.” Now, in verse 9, he prays, “Hide me!” Do you see the heart of a child in that? It’s as if David is saying, “Lord, don’t hide Your face from me—instead, take me and hide me right next to You, under the shadow of Your wings, so that wherever You are secure, I am secure too.”
As a believer, the weapon of “prayer” will always land you in a better position than any earthly sword or shield. Whatever the enemy is attacking you with today—whether it is a difficult relationship, a financial crisis, an addiction, or an internal battle with anxiety—stop trying to stand toe-to-toe with it in your own power. Run to Jesus. Beneath the canopy of His grace and the fortress of His sovereignty, you are completely out of harm’s reach. Lean into Him, close the door, and rest.
Prayer
Abba, I confess that I am tired of trying to fight these battles in my own strength. The pressures, the anxieties, and the spiritual enemies around me feel way too big for me to handle on my own. I stop trying to be the hero today. I admit my weakness, and I actively choose to flee to You. Forgive me for the times I have tried to find shelter in distractions, in my own control, or in isolation. I step into Your sanctuary right now. Wrap me in Your presence, cover me with Your promises, and hide me deep within Your love. Because You are completely secure, I know that I am secure right beside You. Thank You for being my refuge. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Key Takeaways
- Holy Flight is True Courage: Admitting your own weakness and fleeing to the One who is your strength is a mark of profound spiritual wisdom, not cowardice.
- Rejecting False Shelters: True peace isn’t found in distractions, self-reliance, or bitterness. A thriving faith is determined to take shelter exclusively in the presence of the Lord.
- God as Our Hiding Place: God doesn’t just hand us a map or point us toward a safe house. He invites us to hide with Him, making us just as secure as He is secure.
Cross-References (NKJV)
Psalm 17:8
“Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,”
Psalm 32:7
“You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah”
Psalm 31:20
“You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man;
You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.”
Psalm 46:1
“God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.”
Things to Think About:
- Identifying the Runaway Instinct: When you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or spiritually attacked, what is your default “false shelter” (social media scrolling, emotional eating, withdrawing from community)? How can you practically pivot and make the Lord your first line of defense next time?
- Naming the Enemy: What specific “enemy” is pursuing your soul or stealing your peace right now? Pray to God, handing that specific situation over to Him, officially declaring that you are hiding yourself from it inside His fortress.
- The View From the Hiding Place: Imagine yourself safely tucked inside a massive, unshakeable stone fortress while a storm rages outside. Write about how your current problems look different when you view them from the absolute safety of God’s protective custody.
Proverb for Today
He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive. Proverbs 17:27-28 NKJV
Daily Scripture
But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. Luke 21:12-15 NKJV
Closing
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV
Grace be with you. Amen.
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Summary of Commentaries:
In Psalm 143:9, David seeks God’s protection against overwhelming enemies. The commentators below emphasize that fleeing to Jehovah is not cowardice, but true wisdom and holy courage. By intentionally rejecting worldly, sinful, or self-reliant escapes, David utilizes the weapon of prayer to find an unshakeable hiding place. When believers hide beneath the secure canopy of Christ’s atonement, their vulnerability meets God’s omnipotence, turning a desperate retreat into a safe sanctuary of rest and certain deliverance.
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies.” Many foes beset us; we cannot overcome them, we cannot even escape from them, but Jehovah can and will rescue us if we pray to him. The weapon of all-prayer will stand us in better stead than sword and shield.
“I flee unto thee to hide me.” This was a good result from his persecutions. That which makes us flee to our God may be an ill wind, but it blows us good. There is no cowardice in such flight, but much holy courage. God can hide us out of reach of harm, and even out of sight of it. He is our hiding-place; Jesus has made himself the refuge of his people: the sooner, and the more entirely we flee to him, the better for us. Beneath the crimson canopy of our Lord’s atonement, believers are completely hidden; let us abide there and be at rest. In the seventh verse, our poet cried, “Hide not thy face,” and here he prays, “Hide me.” Note also how often he uses the words “unto thee;” he is after his God; he must travel in that direction by some means, even though he may seem to be beating a retreat; his whole being longs to be near the Lord. Is it possible that such thirsting for God will be left un-supplied? Never, while the Lord is love.
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Enduring Word
Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies: David’s enemies had persecuted his soul (Psalm 143:3). He prayed not only for God’s encouragement, but also for His defense against these enemies. (Guzik)
In You I take shelter: This was a beautiful statement of faith. David would not take shelter in sinful pleasures, in the distractions of entertainment, in positive thinking, in self-reliance, in bitterness, or in vengeance. David was determined to take shelter in the LORD. (Guzik)
i. “The blessedness of contrite trust is that it nestles the closer to God, the more it feels its unworthiness. The child hides its face on the mother’s bosom when it has done wrong.” (Maclaren)
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Albert Barnes
I flee unto thee to hide me – Margin, “Hide me with thee.” The Hebrew is, I hide myself with thee; that is, I take refuge with thee; I put myself under thy protection; I make myself thus secure, as thou art secure. See Psalms 17:8. Compare Psalms 27:5; Psalms 31:20.
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John Gill
Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies,…. Either Saul and his courtiers, or Absalom and the conspirators along with him, who were many, and lively and strong, stronger than he; and therefore God only could deliver him, and to him he sought for it, and not to men; and so deliverance from spiritual enemies is only from the Lord;
I flee unto thee to hide me; from their rage and fury, who was the only asylum or place of refuge for him, where he could be safe. It may be rendered, “with thee have I hid”; that is, myself: so Arama gives the sense, “I have hid myself with thee.” Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Kimchi, interpret it to this purpose: “I have hid my affairs, my straits and troubles, my difficulties and necessities, from men; and have revealed them unto thee, who alone can save.” The Targum is, “I have appointed thy Word to be (my) Redeemer.”
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Matthew Henry
That God would, in his own way and time, give him rest from his troubles (v. 9): “Deliver me, O Lord! from my enemies, that they may not have their will against me; for I flee unto thee to hide me; I trust to thee to defend me in my trouble, and therefore to rescue me out of it.” Preservations are pledges of salvation, and those shall find God their hiding-place who by faith make him such.
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Miscellaneous Comments
“I flee unto thee to hide me.” Is David’s valor come to this, that he is come now to be glad to fly? Had he not done better to have died valiantly than to fly basely? O my soul, to fly is not always a sign of baseness; it is not always a point of valor to stand to it; but then to fly when we feel our own weakness, and to him to fly, in whom is our strength—this is, if not valor, at least wisdom, but it is, to say true, both wisdom and true valor. And now, O God, seeing I find my own weakness, and know thy strength, what should I do but fly, and whither fly but only to thee?—to thee, a strong fortress to all that build upon thee; to thee, a safe sanctuary to all that fly unto thee.
—Sir Richard Baker.
The believer, if wise, will at all times flee to Jehovah. Jacob flies to Laban; the manslayer to the refuge; the bird to his mountain; and the Christian to his God. Ephraim to king Jareb; and Saul to the witch; but the believer looks to his God. The Lord receives, befriends, and secures him. Let us flee to him by prayer, in faith, with hope, for salvation; and he will receive us, shelter us, and be our refuge and strength. Flee from sin, from self, from the world; but flee to Jesus. His heart is ever toward us, his ear is open to us, and his hand is ready to help, protect, and deliver us. His throne is our asylum. His promise is our comfort, and his omnipotence is our guard.
Happy soul, that, free from harms,
Rests within his Shepherd’s arms!
Who his quiet shall molest?
Who shall violate his rest?
He who found the wandering sheep,
Loves, and still delights to keep.
—James Smith, in “The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer.”
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