Read
(For the music leader. To the tune “Lily of the Promise.” A special psalm by David for teaching. He wrote it during his wars with the Arameans of northern Syria, when Joab came back and killed twelve thousand Edomites in Salt Valley.)
You Can Depend on God
1 You, God, are angry with us!
We are rejected and crushed.
Make us strong again!
2You made the earth shake
and split wide open;
now heal its wounds
and stop its trembling.
3You brought hard times
on your people,
and you gave us wine
that made us stagger.
4You gave a signal to those
who worship you,
so they could escape
from enemy arrows.
5Answer our prayers, God!
Use your powerful arm
and give us victory.
Then the people you love
will be safe.
6Our God, you solemnly promised,
“I would gladly divide up
the city of Shechem
and give away Succoth Valley
piece by piece.
7The lands of Gilead
and Manasseh are mine.
Ephraim is my war helmet,
and Judah is the symbol
of my royal power.
8Moab is merely my washbasin.
Edom belongs to me,
and I shout in triumph
over the Philistines.”
9Our God, who will bring me
to the fortress,
or lead me to Edom?
10Have you rejected us
and deserted our armies?
11Help us defeat our enemies!
No one else can rescue us.
12You will give us victory
and crush our enemies.
Reflect
The best is yet to come! A positive outlook to have and one full of faith. It’s living with the confidence of what we hope for and the assurance of what we don’t yet see, mentioned at the beginning of Hebrews.
In psalm 60 David’s kingdom and reign are established and secure, as they had not been up until this point. He is recalling the hard times God had brought him and his people through, and acknowledging the “signal to those who worship” (v.4) that God has given them to identify the truth of His presence. The New King James version expresses it as “You have given a banner” which announces the truth of God’s promised word.
He concludes, in verses 11-12, with a prayer asking for God’s continued presence as they move forward, acknowledging that no one can rescue them but God, and David expresses the calculated belief that their God would continue to give them victory.
This all takes faith. Faith to thank God for bringing us through tough times and seasons of defeat. Faith to stand each day in the knowledge that He is with us giving us “a signal …” of His presence. And faith to go forward, acknowledging that our only hope for rescue from our enemies and victory in our daily lives is through Him; for “without faith it is impossible to please God …” Why not give it a go? What have you got to lose?
Respond
Father God. You are the God of Abraham, Hannah and David, your servants known for their faith. You promise to give whatever we ask for in faith and I need more faith so that I can serve you and live in victory. Hear my prayer, in Jesus’ name I pray.
James Paterson
James works as a visual artist. His current body of work is a series of metal wire sculptures called Prayer Machines which are whimsically ambiguous machine-like objects that give expression to mystery. “I love to share the gospel message, using art as a bridge, to encourage people in their relationship with Jesus.” He and Lynn have four young adult children. Publications Jim’s Grandiose Big Bible Picture Book (Bastian Books ,2007)