A WORD FOR TODAY, March 16, 2023
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, March 16, 2023
“Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, for my soul takes refuge in you. Yes, in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge, until disaster has passed. I cry out to God Most High, to God who accomplishes my requests for me. He will send from heaven, and save me, he rebukes the one who is pursuing me. Selah. God will send out his loving kindness and his truth. My soul is among lions. I lie among those who are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be exalted, God, above the heavens! Let your glory be above all the earth! They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They dig a pit before me. They fall into the middle of it themselves. Selah. My heart is steadfast, God. My heart is steadfast. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises. Wake up, my glory! Wake up, lute and harp! I will wake up the dawn. I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the peoples. I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your great loving kindness reaches to the heavens, and your truth to the skies. Be exalted, God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.” Psalm 57, WEB
David was the anointed king of Israel, but Saul still held the power. David respected Saul’s position and refused to kill him, even though Saul constantly sought to destroy David. David understood that Saul was in God’s power, and that it was up to him to simply trust in God. There are those who might think that David was afraid, and perhaps he was, wouldn’t you be if you had a powerful king chasing after you? But David was also waiting; he was waiting for his moment according to God’s time.
David knew where to turn when he was afraid; he cried out to God. He didn’t just ask God for help, however. He sought God’s mercy and confessed his faith. He sang, “in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge.” He trusted that God would send help. He trusted that God’s love would be fulfilled in his salvation. He trusted that God’s word was true and that his enemies would not have victory over him. He knew that he was in danger, and he was afraid. But in the midst of his fear, he saw the promise fulfilled.
Even when he was in hiding, running from Saul, David sang God’s praises. We might think this is a hard thing to do, after all David wouldn’t have been in this trouble if God hadn’t anointed him to be king. Saul was jealous and afraid. He didn’t want to lose his power; he was willing to do whatever was necessary to destroy David. David could have happily been keeping his father’s sheep in the field, no worries about war or death or the burden of a nation on his shoulders. But David trusted God, accepted God’s choice, and followed God’s plan. He thanked the LORD and sang His praises among the nations, even when he was on the verge of disaster. He exalted God, even when death was close.
Do we have such faith? Do we thank God and sing His praise when we are in the midst of trouble? We might not have powerful kings chasing us through the desert, but we do have to deal with pain and suffering. We have enemies that are chasing us through life, perhaps not powerful kings or even people, but the devil is constantly trying to turn us onto a different path. The devil would rather we die than thank and praise God. But we know God is always faithful, even when we are afraid. His Word is true and His plan is right. So, let us thank God and praise Him, even when things don’t seem to be working out in our favor, because He will make things right in His way and in His time.
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