“I will love you, O Lord, my strength. 2. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust, my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 3. I will call upon the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies.”
It is important to consider the context of the 18th Psalm in order to see the importance of this declaration. The psalm was written while David was being pursued by King Saul. David did not just imagine that he was in danger. Saul was intent on killing him because of jealousy. In the three verses under discussion, David made a declaration of his dependence on God. David was a brave man, but he knew that he could not escape the king and his army in his strength alone. We can take a lesson from David here, because we cannot stand in our strength alone. First, David made a declaration of love for God. This is where dedication and dependence begin. Jesus Himself said that the greatest commandment was to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” Until we realize that God really loves us, we will not trust Him enough to depend on Him, and to love Him as we should. In whatever you are facing today, you need to decide whether you know that God really loves you or not. You actually accept God’s love when you accept Jesus as your savior. Get this down – God really and truly loves you! Second, David made a declaration of dependence on God’s strength. David was a strong person, but he realized that his strength was insufficient to stand up to the might of the king. This reminds me of Paul’s declaration about the strength of Christ in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Paul was not a stranger to threats of death in his ministry. Like David, in order for him to continue to serve the Lord and do what he was called to do, Paul had to depend on One whose strength was far beyond his. If this is true of David and Saul, it is certainly true of us as well. Whatever you are facing today, the strength of the Lord is as available to you as it was to David and to Saul. In fact, Jesus wants you to lean on Him and depend on His strength. Don’t make the mistake that a lot of people make, and try to overcome by yourself and if that fails give it to Jesus. He wants to give His strength before the fact, not after the fact. David established what he considered to be the strength of God in his life. He referred to the Lord as his “rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” In Psalm 56:3-4 David declared: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in you. 4. In God I will praise his word. In God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.” God provided David’s offence and his defense. He will do the same for you. Third, David made a declaration of how he would access the strength and power of God in his life: “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies.” David’s means of access to the strength and power of God was the same as ours: He would simply pray. Prayer is not just our means of communication with God; it is our means of the support of God. Someone said: “When all else fails pray.” That is entirely wrong. It should be: “Before all else fails pray.” We need to stay “prayed up” in order to face all of the contingencies of life. I know that I don’t want to face a day without prayer. Prayer is our declaration of dependence on God, our trust in God and our deep need for His intervention in all of life. All that David wrote here is true for you. Believe it and embrace it! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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