During the reign of King David, Israel was surrounded by enemies. Very much like modern-day Israel, the nations around her were thirsty for the blood of God’s people. David’s job was not easy. Being under the constant threat of war must have caused him anxiety and fear; yet, he writes in Psalm 143:5 – 7, “I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works, and consider what your hands have done. I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.”
It’s hard to imagine that the slayer of Goliath knows panic. Consider, if God had given you the power to take down a giant with a stone and a sling, wouldn’t you walk a little taller. Prance like a peacock? Stick out your chest and pound it? But even David struggled with doubt and when he did, he considered all that God had done for him in the past.
God equips us with the resources we need to defend ourselves every day, not so much against blood thirsty warriors as in David’s day, but against temptations; against financial burdens; against marital break-up; family disorder; and against sickness. See, we need the “armour of God” to defend us today just as much as David needed it to defend his people against the violence of other nations.
“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” Psalm 143:8.
The weapons we fight with today have the power to demolish the strongholds of our lives. You do not have to battle it alone. You do not have to fall into the pit like others. God not only knows what you are battling but He already has a way out for you. “Show me the way I should go, Lord…I spread out my hands to you, O God.”
Someone asked me the other day, “Are you really as calm as you seem to be about life?” I’d love to answer unequivocably, “Yes!” but I am just like you. I struggle with issues just like you do. Every morning, I have to look at the beautiful sky before me as the sun rises and renew my strength in the Lord, just as King David did. Battles rage around us, no different from Israel. But how we prepare for those fights makes all the difference in the outcome. “I consider, Lord, what Your hands have done for me in my past, and I trust in You, O God, for what I need today.”
