Word of Encouragement (11/16/2023)
And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said, "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. (2 Sam. 22:1-3)
In his gratitude, David opens his song with a long list of what the LORD is to him. It is obviously an indication of how full his heart was with gratitude.
David praises God as his rock. The biblical imagery of rock can mean a lot of things. But it certainly conjures up ideas of firmness and strength. When we build something, we want to build it on a rock, not on sand, because it is dependable and trustworthy. Even though his past was filled with many ups and downs, constantly shifting and changing, David realizes that God has been his firm foundation under all the turbulent vicissitudes of his life to keep him from falling apart.
David praises God also as his fortress. He realizes that he has remained safe through all the close encounters he has had with death and through all the dangers and crises in his life only because God has been his fortress. What a blessing it is to have the almighty God as our fortress! What enemy is powerful enough to break through the impenetrable defense of our divine fortress? Even the walls of Jericho, known to be invincible, crumbled like a house of cards and sank like the Titanic at the shouting of the Israelites in obedience to God’s command. No fortress of this world is invincible to enemy attacks and the passage of time. No human fortress can withstand the wrath of God. But we are safe within the indestructible walls of our mighty fortress.
David praises God also as his deliverer. He remembers those moments when he was utterly helpless to defend himself. Once he was on the run and Saul and his men were closing in on him—so close that he had a visual of David and his people. But at the last minute, a messenger came and told Saul that the Philistines had invaded the land. This made Saul turn away to fight off the Philistines (1 Sam. 23:26-28). When Absolom rebelled against David, David was in mortal danger. But God used Hushai to block Ahithophel’s wise counsel to Absalom and delivered David (2 Sam. 17). David’s life was not free from danger, far from it.
David faced many dangers throughout his life. Often, the dangers were so great and so close that he felt abandoned and forgotten by God. But used them to humble him and teach him to trust in Him. And God delivered him from them all. He could confess, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed...” (2 Cor. 4:8-9).
Going through fiery trials is no fun. But as we can see from David’s life and our own life experiences, these trials help us see our true colors and experience God’s faithfulness and powerful deliverance. If God was willing to deliver us from the grip of sin and Satan to the point of sacrificing His Son, Jesus Christ, we know that He will be with us and protect us until He brings our salvation to its glorious completion. Let us trust in the Lord and praise Him for all His wondrous works in our lives.