“I called to the Lord in my distress; I called to my God. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry for help reached his ears.” (2 Samuel 22:7)
As we read so far in 1 and 2 Samuel, David was often on the run from his enemies (22:1). Although he faced life threatening situations, David trusted in God and many of the psalms that he wrote (including this one) reflected that trust. Most importantly, David recognized that his salvation from his enemies came from God alone and not his own efforts. Although we may not be currently running for our lives like David was, how does his song relate to us today?
The apostle Paul writes that our struggle is not against people but against the spiritual forces of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). As a result of Adam and Eve’s rebellion in the Garden of Eden we are dead in sin and we fall short of God’s standards of holiness. In other words, we cannot save ourselves, no matter how hard we tried. Thankfully, God showed his love in this way: that he gave his one and only Son to the world (John 3:16). It is through faith in the work of Jesus that our sins are forgiven, sin loses its grip on our lives, and we are reconciled with God as his children.
Although in Christ we are no longer slaves to sin, it doesn’t mean our fight against sin has ended; it has just begun. Our enemy, the devil, is constantly prowling around like a lion (1 Peter 5:8). However, God in his faithfulness and love for us has provided a way to defend ourselves against Satan’s temptations, his Word (Ephesians 6:17). The prime example of Scripture’s effectiveness against temptation is shown in Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13). God has also promised us that he will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle and will always provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). How should we respond to this?
Like David in today’s reading, our response can only be one of thankfulness. All of the material and spiritual blessings that we receive come from God. However, do you find yourself only thanking God when things are going smoothly? Do you find it difficult to give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18)? We are to rejoice always, even during trials (James 1:2). On our own strength this is impossible, but God is ultimately our answer and support (22:19). Today and moving forward let’s give thanks that God is ultimately all who we need. As Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck said, “Man is an enigma whose solution can be found only in God.”