Victory from Defeat

Readings for today: Psalms 35, 54, 63, 18

At fifty-two years old, I can look back over the course of my life and think of several times where my future teetered on the edge of a knife. If not for the intervention of the Lord, I would have fallen. I would have failed. I would have lost everything. I remember being in high school and our family being on the verge of homelessness. We were down to our final month before foreclosure and eviction. We had no money left. The house needed to sell and God came through at the 11th hour. I remember being in college and not doing well. I was in the process of flunking out. I was drinking heavily. I could easily have dropped out and become an alcoholic but God intervened. Literally saved my life. Plucked me out of the pit and set my feet on the rock. I remember losing our first child at 22 weeks. The divorce rate for couples who lose children is extremely high and we could easily have become another statistic but God drew us close to Himself and our marriage only got stronger. I can think of several critical moments in the different churches and ministries I’ve been part of over the years which could easily have gone south. Moments of significant conflict. Moments where I was personally attacked. Moments where I felt betrayed. If not for God, my ministry career would have looked a lot different but He preserved me through each and every trial. He made me stronger and more resilient and most of all, more dependent on Him.

David has experienced a lot in his life at this point. He’s been on top of the mountain like when he defeated Goliath and he’s been in the lowest of valleys like when he’s being chased by Saul. He’s experienced a lot of victory in his life and he’s been on the run from his enemies. He’s had moments when he could have taken matters into his own hands and claimed the throne of Israel by killing Saul. He’s had other moments where Saul almost captures him to put him to death. Through it all, David continues to look to the Lord. He continues to give God all the credit for his life and his success and his deliverance. “I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. For He has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.” (Psalms 54:6-7 CSB) He refuses to let those who attack him get him down. He refuses to give into despair when he is betrayed or falsely accused. He knows the Lord sees his heart and he trusts God to vindicate him in the end. “Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me.” (Psalms 35:24 CSB) Most of all, David continues to seek God with all his heart. He never wavers in his faith. “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalms 18:1-2 CSB)

How do you respond to adversity? How do you respond when you feel attacked or betrayed of falsely accused? How do you respond when things don’t go your way or take a turn for the worse? Do you look to the Lord when you find yourself wandering in the wilderness? In a dry and thirsty land? What about when things are good? Do you give God the praise? Do you give God the credit for the good things in your life? For His intervention and His provision and His blessing? When you look back over the course of your life, can you see where the Lord has brought victory in your life? Perhaps even from the jaws of defeat?

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 28-31, 1 Chronicles 10

Deliverance

Readings for today: Psalms 56, 120, 140, 141, 142

The Psalms are known as “the prayer book of the Bible” and for good reason. They are the literal prayers of the people of Israel. People like David and Solomon and Asaph. They teach us how to pray when times are hard and tough. They teach us how to pray when we are anxious and afraid. They teach us how to pray when we are poor and powerless. They teach us how to pray when times are good. When victory is within our grasp. When life has taken an upward turn. Most of all, they direct us to God. They teach us how to cry out to God in times of need and how to praise God in times of blessing.

In this particular season of his life, David is on the run. He has yet to assume his rightful place on the throne. He’s even had to leave Israel and take refuge among the Philistines who are his mortal enemies. Think about that for a minute. David literally has made his name defeating Goliath and the Philistine armies over and over again but now it is safer for him to live among them than his own people! No wonder David cries out to God. You have probably noted that many of the Psalms provide a brief description at the beginning before the actual verses begin. It gives a bit of the context for that particular prayer. Two of today’s Psalms were written when David was held captive by the Philistines or hiding out in a cave. The others suggest he was also facing adversity, perhaps around the same time. The themes of these Psalms focus on protection, deliverance, and rescue from his enemies. Each of the Psalms is also a declaration of trust. A profession of faith. David prays in confidence, believing the Lord will hear and answer his prayers.

The Psalms invite us to pray similar prayers. They invite us to express similar emotions. They give us permission to come before the Lord authentically and honestly, without fear of judgment. At the same time, the Psalms challenge us to believe. They challenge us to trust God. They challenge us to walk with open hands before Him and be willing to submit our will to His own. Deliverance may come from an unexpected place. Rescue may come when we least expect it. God does protect us but not always in the way we would think or according to our timing. We have to be willing to let God be in charge. This is what sets David apart. His prayers declare His trust in the almighty, sovereign power and plan of God.

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 25-27, Psalms 17, 73

Deliverance

Readings for today: 1 Corinthians 7-8, Psalms 144

Recently, I have felt overwhelmed by the immense pain and suffering that exists all around me all the time. I have found myself in situations interacting with people who bear on their bodies the scars of their emotional distress and it brings me to tears. I have spoken to person after person who are struggling with identity issues, substance abuse issues, relational brokenness, moral failure, the list goes on and on. Add to that the growing fear, hatred, anger, and potential violence of this year’s election season and I feel like I am stretched well beyond my own emotional and physical and spiritual strength. The burdens I carry these days are heavy. While I love what I do and who I get to do it with, I am weary. Wrung out on a lot of levels. Thankfully, my condition is not abnormal. Quite the opposite. The Psalmist knows exactly how I feel and gives voice to the emotions bubbling up from the deepest recesses of my soul.

“Lord, part your heavens and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke. Flash your lightning and scatter the foe; shoot your arrows and rout them. Reach down from on high; rescue me from deep water, and set me free…” ‭(Psalms‬ ‭144‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Only God can heal our broken world. Only God can heal our wounded hearts. Only God can heal our battered souls. This prayer from Psalm 144 was a balm for me today. As I sat with the Lord and laid all my burdens at His feet, I found myself crying over the state of the world. And from the depths of my heartache, came these words of hope. Part the heavens, Father, and come down. Touch the mountains that I gaze upon as I look out the windows of my office so they will smoke. Flash your lightning and put the enemy to flight. Shoot your arrows and rout the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly as well as earthly places. Reach down from on high and rescue us from deep water. Set us free. Free from the burden of sin. Free from slavery to our base desires. Free from the ungodly systems of power in this world.

As I prayed this prayer over and over again, I felt my hope renew. I felt my own heart be filled. I felt my own soul start to mend again as God’s Spirit assured me of His abiding presence. The reality is God has parted the heavens and come down. God has touched the mountains. He has flashed His lightning. He has scattered His foes. He has reached down from on high and rescued us from deep water. He has set us free. God has done all this and more in Jesus Christ and He sends the Holy Spirit to live and dwell with us to deliver us from all evil and protect us from all sin. All we have to do is submit to Him. Trust Him with those we love and live among. Trust Him with our hearts and our hopes. Trust Him with our plans and our resources. Trust Him with our choices and decisions. Trust Him with our will and our ways. If we walk with the Spirit, we will not grow weary or faint for He will lift us up like eagles and renew our strength so we might soar with Him.

Readings for tomorrow: 1 Corinthians 9-10, Psalms 145

Progressive Revelation

Readings for today: Exodus 1-3, Psalm 17

It’s hard for us to imagine what it must have been like for the ancient Israelites. We live two thousand years post-resurrection. We have the full counsel of God revealed in a complete Bible. We have generations of church history to look back on where we can see the hand of God at work. Most importantly, we have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit inside us, keeping us in constant contact with our Heavenly Father. The ancient Israelites had none of these things. Four hundred years had passed since they last heard from God. All they had were a few family stories to go on of this God who occasionally spoke to their ancestors. They had no Scripture. No worship. No Law. Nothing to go on. They didn’t even know God’s name.

One of the things we have to remember as we read through the Bible is the nature of progressive revelation. God reveals Himself in different ways to different people in different situations over time. He speaks to them in a language they can understand, taking into account their particular time and place and culture and worldview. This can result in misunderstandings about God. When we see Him reveal Himself in different ways, we might be tempted to think He is contradicting Himself. But nothing could be further from the truth. God’s character and nature are eternal and unchanging and everything He does has a purpose. It is geared to bring about His great salvation plan.

Consider the plight of Israel. They have lived for hundreds of years in exile from the Promised Land. The king of Egypt no longer remembers the contributions their forefather Joseph made to the nation. As the Israelites grow in number, they represent a potential threat. After all, no empire wants a powerful people group living on their border. So Pharaoh acts decisively to enslave them and decimate their population by killing all the male children. It’s brutal. It’s violent. It’s terrifying. Such was life in the ancient world. One wonders why God didn’t intervene? Why did He not reach down and strike Pharaoh down? Why did He not pluck His people up and bring them back to the Promised Land? Why did God allow such evil and suffering? Once again, we come face to face with God’s unchanging nature and character. He absolutely refuses to change His eternal plan. In the beginning, He gave humanity dominion over all He had made and He has never taken that gift back. So if salvation is to come to the world, it must come in and through the creatures who bear His image. The creatures He set up to reign and rule over all He has made.

I love the end of chapter two. “After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor, they cried out, and their cry for help because of the difficult labor ascended to God. God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the Israelites, and God knew.” (Exodus‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬-‭25‬ ‭CSB‬‬) God heard. God remembered. God saw. God knew. God never abandoned His people. He was always there though they could not see Him or hear Him or perceive Him. God was always faithful and at the right moment - after the king of Egypt had died - God raised up a deliverer to save His people.

Now think about your own life. Think about the many ways you groan due to difficult labor or cry out due to struggle and heartbreak. Sometimes it may seem like God is silent. It may seem like God isn’t responding to your prayers. But God is faithful, friends! And at the right time, He will act. He will send deliverance - usually through another person - to bring you comfort and peace.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 4-6, Psalm 18