Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 19-22,24; 1 Chronicles 20-27; Psalm 7
God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right…
I will thank the Lord because he is just;
I will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high. – Psalm 7:10,17
As I finished up 2 Samuel this morning, my heart responded to David’s psalm of thanksgiving as he finished his reign as King. Looking back on his life, there were so many difficult times and struggles. From King Saul’s attempts to kill David to his own son’s rebellion against him; from the violence against his daughter to the violence against his concubines; from the grief and loss of his friends to the grief and loss of his newborn son – David experienced more pain than most of us will ever know. Yet at the end of his life, David did the same thing he had always done – he sang to the Lord who had generously blessed him and saved him from his enemies.
As I read David’s song of praise to God, I think of the times when I have called out to God in my distress and felt His presence swoop in and surround me with peace. I thought of my own healing and the healing of others as I read of God’s emotions when death and the grave lay traps in the path before us.
This psalm has beautiful imagery so I pray you are able to place yourself in this beautiful song and picture the love of the God who rescues you! I pray you are able to find peace and say GOD’S WAY IS PERFECT.
He sang: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.
I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and HE SAVED ME from my enemies.
“The waves of death overwhelmed me; floods of destruction swept over me.
The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path.
But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I cried to my God for help.
HE HEARD ME from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.
“Then the earth quaked and trembled.
The foundations of the heavens shook; they quaked because of his anger.
Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth.
Glowing coals blazed forth from him.
He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.
Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.
He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dense rain clouds.
A great brightness shone around him, and burning coals blazed forth.
The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot arrows and scattered his enemies; his lightning flashed, and they were confused.
Then at the command of the Lord, at the blast of his breath,
the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.
“HE REACHED DOWN from heaven and RESCUED me; HE DREW ME OUT of deep waters.
HE RESCUED ME from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord SUPPORTED me.
HE LED ME to a place of safety, he rescued me because HE DELIGHTS in me.
The Lord REWARDED ME for doing right; he RESTORED ME because of my innocence.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil.
I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees.
I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin.
The Lord rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence.
“To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.
To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.
You RESCUE the humble, but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them.
O Lord, you are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness.
In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.
“GOD’S WAY IS PERFECT. All the Lord’s promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock?
God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect.” – 2 Samuel 22:2-33
Perfect Father, help us to come to the same place David did at the end of his life. Help us to recognize your presence in our life and how you have been with us through every situation, from the deep waters to the battlefields. Thank you for showing yourself faithful and watching over us. Give us the confidence to to say that with your help we can crush any army and scale any wall. Protect us with your shield and set us upon your solid rock. Your way is perfect, even when it is beyond our understanding. When I accept your way for my life, I can know it will be perfect – exactly as you intend for it to be. You are my refuge, my rock, my Savior and I love you!