PSALM 18:1-15
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.
The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.
The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
Saved from my enemiesWho are our enemies? Most of us, if not all of us who read this blog, are free from enemies like David had. No one is hunting us down with guns and knives trying to literally end our lives. For us who are free from the threat of physical death the word enemy takes on a different form.
Enemies come in the form of sickness, financial troubles, discouragement, harassment at work, words of hatred and even our own thoughts. These enemies are no less potent than the sword slinging ones. Their poison works slower, but it leads to the death of ministry, they steal our joy, rob us of our energy and even force us to relocate from one job to another at times.
In some ways, I think it is easier to be bested by these subtle enemies than the blatant ones. We don’t know how to fight the subtle enemy. So let’s take a cue from David. Fight subtle enemies the same way you do blatant ones: with God’s strength and sword. Run to God, wait for him to vindicate you.
God of strength and power, I need you to be my strength and deliverer against the subtle enemy of doubt, discouragement, and frustration in my life today. Help me not to succumb to my enemies but to stand in your strength. - Dan Jones
Good stormsI love a rousing thunderstorm, complete with pelting rain, forked lightening, and the booming clash of warm and cold air masses – just so long as I am sitting in the shelter of a gazebo with a cup of coffee in my hand. There is something about the sounds and smells of a storm that I love.
I’d feel quite differently, however, if I were a soldier sloshing through such a storm hunting dangerous fugitives. If I’d been a member of Saul’s army, I’d not only cursed the storm, I’d probably feared it. Natural events in the ancient world communicated supernatural messages, omens. For both David and Saul, God thundered his anger in this storm. And David celebrated! God had once again delivered him from the hands of a mortal enemy.
More often then not, storms are reason for grumbling. Rather than lounging with coffee in some gazebo, I am more likely on the road, wanting to mow the lawn, or walking between buildings when storms arrive. Stormy days get in my way and dampen my mood far more frequently than they refresh me. No wonder weather storms provide perfect metaphors for difficult and unpleasant life experiences – a stormy time of life.
Stormy life experiences never refresh me! I’ve yet to find a gazebo or breathe in fresh air in these kinds of storms. But I cannot escape the reality that, what was an obstacle for Saul and his men, became, for that very reason, protection for David – the same storm producing very different results. Could it be that my stormy experiences are in fact God’s protective action?
Could it be that the storms I would curse are, in fact, God’s providential provision of a fortress, or an experience of deliverance?
God of stormy days, thanks for reminding me that the same storm I am experiencing could be the very event that keeps enemies at bay. The next time life rains and pours on me I’ll thank you rather than grumble. - Mike Leamon
No comments:
Post a Comment