2 Samuel 22

Do we know, trust, and praise God like David?  Do yourself a favor...get yourself a cup of coffee (or some other beverage of choice) and sit down to read 2 Samuel 22.

I have a few things to note:  First off, take a peek at his numerous descriptions of the Lord.  Can I say with David that He is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my strength, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, my Savior, my lamp, my support, and more?  As a believer in Him, washed in the blood of Jesus and clothed in His righteousness, and one who He has made to be His child by adoption, yes...I can say these things.  Yet so often I identify with the father in Mark 9 who was troubled (in his case, he had a child in need of healing)...after Jesus assured this man that all things are possible for him who believes, he responded with "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  That's me crying out too:  Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!  

Next, chew on verses 8-20.  David talks about how he cried out to God when distressed and that God heard him…and not only did He listen to David, he arose on his behalf with zeal.  God is NOT an impersonal being that doesn't care a lick for His creation...He's given His own name to a people that He redeemed with the blood of His own Son, and He is jealous for them.  In verse 8 He's angry and His anger is directed against David's enemies...He shakes heaven and earth, kindles coals, sends out arrows and all kinds of other marvelously violent things until we get to verses 17-18:  "He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters.  He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too strong for me."  This is one of the verses that really stood out to me and I think it was because I was under attack at the time and pretty close to despair.  A few months ago, I was waging war in the realm of what a friend and I came to call the negative nasties of the mind...my circumstances were filled with blessings, but my oh my was my mind ever under attack (temptations of bitterness, anger, fear, discouragement, confusion, disappointment, and feelings of inadequacy didn't let up for a period of months).  It became clear that "they were too strong for me" even as I daily gloved up, read God's Word, and prayed.  One day, God lead me to this chapter and encouraged my soul.  And as you can see, months later I am still digesting it with pleasure.

Our enemies may not be the same as David’s…maybe ours are just a bunch of negative nasties in the battlefield of our minds, but we can be assured that our God will arise on our behalf because He’s chosen us before the foundation of the world to be His.  Just like David, our enemies may be too strong for us, but they are not too strong for God who hears us when we cry out to Him in our distress.  We are His workmanship.  We can have the same confidence in God that Paul had when he wrote Phil 1:6 “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”  

The last thing I want to note here is something mentioned in verse 20: "He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me."  I'm one of those people who can beat myself up pretty good.  I KNOW I'm a sinner and that God is holy.  I relate to the "I'm a worm" and "stiffnecked" sort of verses pretty easily so when I get to a verse like this, my first thought is "why in the world would He possibly delight in me?"  It blows my mind.  I frankly have a hard time believing it.  But He does!  He made me....I'm His workmanship.  He's redeemed me and has given me new life in Christ for His glory, a new life that pleases Him and glorifies Him.  And the reason He gives here for delivering me is "because He delighted in me."  

If you are His child, He delights in you too.  He's your rock, your fortress, your deliverer, your strength, your shield and the horn of your salvation, your stronghold, your refuge, your Savior, your lamp, your support, and more.

May God use 2 Samuel 22 to encourage you and me to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (as we're also encouraged to do in Hebrews 12:1-2)...let us take every thought captive to the One who loves us, gave Himself for us and will continue to zealously arise on our behalf against our enemies because He chose us to be His and He delights in us.  "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief."

Thanks for stopping by,

Connie