Psalm 18:46-50 (NIV): The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me. Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O Lord; I will sing praises to your name. He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
The things that God did for David He can and will do for those who follow Him wholeheartedly.
- · He is for us a rock and fortress, who is able to give us shelter and protection when hard times come, and when we face attacks from our enemies. This is available to all of God’s people at any time. How sad it is when, instead of running to God, we seek shelter, comfort, and protection from other places and other people. His heart’s desire is that we will turn to Him every moment, not just when things get desperate, or after we have turned to other strongholds, only to find them insufficient.
- · He is for us the Savior, the one who will rescue us from all that threatens our souls. He will uphold us, give us the strength that we need to withstand the fiery darts of the enemy, and help us to stand firm, no matter what. God’s people should never try to rely on our own strength and cleverness to withstand the enemy; we cannot see all of the places where he is perched, ready to launch his attacks. We must stand firm only in our God.
- · He is for us our avenger, the one who will repay, and will bring the consequences for attacks on us back on the heads of our attackers. We, as God’s people, must never avenge wrongs done to us. GOD will repay. We must turn the other check, love our enemies, and pray for those who come against us.
- · He is for us the one who gives victory, who subdues nations under us, and who gives us the victory over our enemies. God does not do this through weapons of war, battle strategies, or superior force. Any time God’s people have lost their way and have tried to conquer by the arm of the flesh, they have lost. It is not by might, not by power, but by God’s Spirit that we will gain the victory (Zechariah 4:6). That is because our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). People are never our real enemy – they are the captives that we have been tasked with rescuing from the powers of darkness. But God will give us the victory over our real enemies!
It is only when God’s people rest in Him, rely on Him, trust in Him, and move at His command that we can have the victory that is only possible in and through Him. It is only when we forsake our own plans and strategies, and let HIM call the shots, that He can make us successful in every arena.
Father, thank You for making it possible to have this kind of victory. Forgive us, Lord, for trying to win in our own strength, for trying to develop strategies and plans that will fight and win the battles in our own strength, only to fail time and time again. Forgive us for allowing ourselves to focus on the wrong enemy, resulting only in distancing those that You are trying to draw near. Help us, Lord, to do things YOUR way from now on, so that we can have the victory that only You can make possible. Amen.