He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were to strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me. It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me Your shield of victory, and Your right hand sustains me; You stoop down to make me great. (Psalm 18:16-19; 32-35)
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I can remember my first bike wreck in vivid detail.
I was pedaling as fast as possible down my Memaw's rocky driveway when out of nowhere it came. A rock, a tad bit bigger than all of the others, decided to take up occupancy right in line with my front tire.
And boom. The tire jolted and I flew, crashing into the surrounding rocks. I remember lying there crying...for what felt like forever.
Yet in my distress - my disaster - two strong arms reached down and took ahold of me. My dad, worried to death because of my wailing, held me and took me away from my wrecking place. He calmed me down and rescued me from my failure.
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We have all been met in wrecking places by our Heavenly Father. Moments where He met us, picked us up, and brought us out of heartache. He did this - and does this - because He delights in us.
But too often, what I think we forget is that things do not end there.
You see, God does not just rescue us...He also brushes us off, comforts us, and then preps us to try it all again.
He builds up our confidence, arms us with the correct padding, encourages us, and trains us on how to pedal through the rocks without wrecking again.
Because of Him, we can get back up and continue moving forward. Though we are made strong in the Lord, God always makes us strong through our places of weakness.
Remember this week that you are not alone. Remember this week that in your hands are all that you need, for your Heavenly Father has armed you with strength and has trained you for battle. Whatever comes today, tomorrow, or the next...be confident in the Lord.
All of our past wrecking places have provided God with opportunities to train us and sustain us. Regardless of what battles are to come, David writes that we are already given a shield of victory.
We are already victorious.
The enemy and this world can try to tell us that we are failures, but God has made known that He delights in us and that He has stooped down to make us great.
So for His glory, live today with the confidence and strength that He has instilled within you. For His glory, declare His greatness by living out His righteousness.
Have a great Monday. Thank you again for joining us in studying the Psalms. Please share today's read with friends or family and comment!
Blessings,
Greg, Declare Glory
