Read
31Your way is perfect, Lord,
and your word is correct.
You are a shield for those
who run to you for help.
32You alone are God!
Only you are a mighty rock.
33You are my strong fortress,
and you set me free.
34 You make my feet run as fast
as those of a deer,
and you help me stand
on the mountains.
35You teach my hands to fight
and my arms to use
a bow of bronze.
36You alone are my shield,
and by coming to help me,
you have made me famous.
37You clear the way for me,
and now I won't stumble.
38I kept chasing my enemies
until I caught them
and destroyed them.
39I destroyed them!
I stuck my sword
through my enemies,
and they were crushed
under my feet.
40You helped me win victories
and forced my attackers
to fall victim to me.
41You made my enemies run,
and I killed them.
42They cried out for help,
but no one saved them;
they called out to you,
but there was no answer.
43I ground them to dust,
and I squashed them
like mud in the streets.
44You rescued me
from my stubborn people
and made me the leader
of foreign nations,
who are now my slaves.
45They obey and come crawling.
46They have lost all courage
and from their fortresses
they come trembling.
47You are the living Lord!
I will praise you!
You are a mighty rock.
I will honor you
for keeping me safe.
48You took revenge for me,
and you put nations
in my power.
49You protected me
from violent enemies,
and you made me much greater
than all of them.
50 I will praise you, Lord,
and I will honor you
among the nations.
51You give glorious victories
to your chosen king.
Your faithful love for David
and for his descendants
will never end.
Reflect
David is here extolling the greatness of God and the spiritual, emotional and physical energy that this gives him. Many years earlier David stood on the field of battle and faced a giant called Goliath. David did not come against Goliath with an army or weapons of war but as a boy with a sling-shot and in the name of the Lord. Before going to the field of battle David went to a small brook and from the brook took five small, smooth stones. We would call them river rocks today. In a statement that is not really accurate Biblically, those stones could be described as God is, God has, God can, God does and God will and any of those stones is big enough to defeat any giant in any life of any believer. That is the wonderful sense of this text. David knows that God is on his side and that is enough. It is more than enough.
How often do we struggle because we feel alone or even abandoned? God has promised to never leave or forsake his children but sometimes we find it hard to live in the light of his nearness. Every word of David in this reading speaks of a living relationship with a living Lord. How we need to be with God and know by faith his person, his promises and his presence. Then in those moments when we do sense him with us we still believe, we still serve, and still have faith for victory. When we have this kind of relationship, we trust when we see, and when we don’t see his hand at work we know he is still there, working on our behalf. What incredible courage that gives us to keep steady, true and overcoming.
Respond
Father,
I am so glad to be your child. Help me to live as a child with you, depending on you for love, affection, protection, instruction, courage and growth. I will do my part and stay in relationship with you though your word, prayer and public service. I confess I need you and the good news is I know how to find you. I am so grateful that if I make one move toward you I find you were waiting for me to come. I feel so welcomed in your presence. No wonder I can know the wonder of life at its best.
William Morrow
William Morrow currently serves as an associate pastor at Evangel Church in downtown Montreal. Before that he was president of Master's College & Seminary in Peterborough Ontario. He also served as General Superintendent of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (12 years), Superintendent of the Western Ontario District (6 years) and pastored in Montreal, Smiths Falls and Sarnia. He spent five years teaching at the college where he now serves as President. He is a husband, father and grandfather and has given his ministry life to mentoring a new generation of leaders and pastors.