Psalm 59:16-17 - June 23, 2009

Ps 59:16-17 "But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. 17 O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God." NIV

To have a revelation of the power and strength of God is to have an anchor of confidence in an uncertain world. To have a revelation of God’s love is to have a source of inner security and peace that is unconditional and never changes. David lived in an intimate revelation of both of these truths. David had experienced the strength of God as it had empowered him to do great deeds. First the lion and the bear and later Goliath became the targets of a God empowered champion. As a young man David tasted the joy of being emboldened by a supernatural strength as he challenged the animals in the wilderness who attempted to attack the flock under his care. He knew the joy of delivering his sheep from the attacks of these enemies. This was the foundation of his song. Later his song grew stronger as he was led by the Lord to face the giant in the name of the Lord, declaring God’s glorious name as his battle cry as he rushed to face his enemy.
There is a powerful principle contained in these verses and in this journey. Our life experiences and the battles that we face and overcome build within us an even greater strength. As we gain this strength it becomes harder and harder for circumstances to shake our faith, our joy and our peace! David learned to praise instead of panic, to worship instead of worry. At the time that David wrote this psalm his life is in great turmoil as King Saul has sent soldiers to spy on his home, hoping to capture him and take him prisoner. What an opportunity to be overcome by the pressures of your circumstances and yet David’s eyes are fixed on God as his heart is filled with songs of God’s great strength and abiding love. God built within David a personal history that made him strong in the strength of God. He knew how to draw upon God’s Holy Spirit through worship as a provision for his inner needs and as the means to tap into God’s abundant resources for his natural needs.
There is a powerful lesson of spiritual focus in this passage as well. When David is experiencing such tensions in his life, with enemies all around to capture and kill him he could have become obsessed with his problems and the tensions that surrounded him. Instead he placed his focus on God. He reminded himself of God’s power, God’s love and the hiding place that was available to him in God. Consider this reality in simple terms. The essence of these points is first that God is able to help. Secondly the knowledge of God’s love conveys to our hearts that God is willing to help. Thirdly the knowledge of God as our hiding place identifies the means of God’s help as we hide ourselves. This third principle was clearly the outflow of David’s knowledge of God’s promise to Abraham, “I am your shield, your very great reward!” With God as a shield about us we are safe from any assignment of evil that would rise up against us. Though God allowed David’s life to experience hardship and pressure two things became certain: first that God would not allow his life to be taken prematurely and secondly that even though there would be seasons of struggle the end of the story would prove God’s faithfulness and abundant provision in David’s life. These lessons are lessons that David lived but that speak to us today! Rest in the shade of God’s promises and rejoice in his strength and love today as you wait for his direction in the midst of your need.