Word of Encouragement (02/06/2024)
“You delivered me from strife with my people; you kept me as the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me. 45 Foreigners came cringing to me; as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me. 46 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses. 47 "The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation, 48 the God who gave me vengeance and brought down peoples under me, 49 who brought me out from my enemies; you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from men of violence. 50 "For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. 51 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.” (2 Sam. 22:44-51)
Here David praises God for His deliverance. What is so wonderful is the wide scope of God’s deliverance. We would be grateful enough if someone rescued us from drowning. But when God delivered David, He did much more than resolve his strife with his people (v. 44); God also exalted him above other nations: “…you kept me as the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me. Foreigners came cringing to me; as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me. Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses” (vv. 44-46).
We know of David’s strife with his people. First, it was with Saul as he tried to kill David out of jealousy. After Saul was killed in a battle, it was with the supporters of Saul and his household. Even after David secured his kingship, there were a few attempts to overthrow his kingship. Through them all, God preserved David and his kingship. But God was not done with David. He gave him victory after victory over the surrounding nations. This was what David called to his mind and praised God for.
Let this be a reminder to us that God is far more generous than we take Him for. In our pain and desperation, all we want may be the removal of our immediate problems. We think that we will be happy as long as our present crisis is over. But God has much more in mind. Think about God’s plan of our salvation. We may be content just to be delivered from the eternal torment of hell as we should be. But God’s redemptive plan includes all the glories and riches of heaven! How generous is our God to save us in this way when we were hell-deserving rebels and sinners! If God did not offer this to us voluntarily, would we have the audacity to ask for it?
Add to this what our salvation required—nothing less than the sacrifice of God’s only begotten Son. If we would not dare ask for heaven, how could we even imagine God sacrificing His own Son for our redemption? Yet, what God did for our salvation was not just a one-off; it was a manifestation, though remarkable, of His character. If so, we can expect both with humility and confidence that the deliverance He has in mind for us is much better and more than what we ask or think.
Maybe this is the reason that God’s deliverance often seems not so timely from our perspective—“four days late,” in fact (as in the case of Lazarus). But Jesus delayed His coming for a reason: “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:5). He wanted to show that He could not only heal the sick but also raise the dead, expanding their view of Christ and His glory. So, let us wait patiently and expectantly for His wonderful deliverance.