Psalm 12:7-8
“You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked, who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race.” David understood that God alone could offer protection from the evil that exists on the earth as a result of living in a fallen world. He knew that things were turned around, upside down, topsy turvy and all over the palace when it came to evil and good. He knew the world through evil people would often “call evil good and good evil,” as Isaiah 5:20 warned of. Sound familiar for today in our world? It makes you realize that not much has changed since David and then Jesus walked this earth. There is still a level of evil and injustice and ruthlessness that exists, and good is called evil, and evil is called good, and sometimes it is hard to keep your bearing straight in such an upside-down world. But this very fact is what deepens our reliance upon God and leads us into deeper faith because we begin to realize that He is really in control of all of this the battle is His, not ours ( Ephesians 6:12 ), and He has a plan in Jesus Christ to save us from our sins and from our brokenness, and one day to restore and redeem everything that is broken through a reconciliation of all things back to Christ. So like David, the things that make us fret and trouble our souls such as injustice and evil galavanting around as goodness, are the very things that cause us to deepen our reliance on God and make our faith grow. David would often make a profession of faith to claim spiritual victory over his fears and frustrations with the state of the world’s affairs, and we would be wise to do the same. Sin and brokenness will always be our companions on this earth until Jesus returns a second time to claim eternal victory. Therefore, rather than constantly complaining about the darkness, it is much healthier for us to simply acknowledge God’s sovereign victory over all evil , and be a light to those who are still walking in the darkness.
Psalm 13:1-3
“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.” David’s authentic relationship with God many times had him crying out in anguish when God wasn’t coming to his rescue or answering his prayers in a timely manner. David would literally be in anguish, crying out to the Lord like above in Psalm 13:1-3 above. These periods of waiting on the Lord to answer us or to come and provide a solution for our helpless situations are the times that try men’s souls. Romans 8:21-22 speaks to the fact that the entire world is in some respects waiting for liberation from decay and groaning for God’s redemption. It says,“that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” David was strong in his faith, but even then, none of us can truly understand God’s ways or timing in resolving our life’s struggles. Many times it can leave us in despair and wondering if God has abandoned us or if He is even real. There are moments of doubt in every faith journey if we are really being honest. But we must remember to look at the Saints of the Bible and the promises of scripture to renew and restore us during times of doubt. Hebrews 11:1-2 is a good place to start when our faith waivers as it reminds us, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” David knew his faith journey was not linear and was full of peaks and valleys. He was authentic enough in his relationship with God to cry out in despair when he had reached the end of his rope and was literally on the precipice of disaster. We would be wise to have that same mindset as David and be very real in our prayers and conversations with the Lord. There will surely be times in our lives when we don’t understand why God is allowing us to suffer so much, or to be filled with such pain. It is during those times that we must be real with God and not sugarcoat it. We are human and there’s a limit to what we can endure without His intervention. We need Him to come through for us, and He needs us to admit how much we need Him and depend on Him. Doing it our own way, or in our own strength, simply won’t work in many circumstances. David knew that full well. He continually recognized how much he needed God to save him from his desperate circumstances. We need to follow his lead and admit it as well.
Psalm 14:2
“The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” David had a longing to know God and to seek God. He did this I believe each and every day of his life. But he also had a hunger for others to know God as he did and to also seek him. It bothered him that so many had turned away as Psalm 14:3 says “All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” I think David had a genuine longing for others to taste and see that the Lord is good, just as he had. He felt compassion towards them and didn;t understand why they would turn their back on the One who had made Israel great. I think the same thing is true today. It should bother us as followers of God that so many are rejecting Him, to their own peril and demise. They are calling in friendly fire on their own positions without even realizing it. In a moment's notice, or in a twinkling of an eye, they could perish and be separated from God for all of eternity. In the current secular humanistic world we are living in, the enemy is using man’s pride to destroy him. People think they can solve any problem, and refuse in many cases to even acknowledge the existence of God, let alone that He is the Creator of all things, including us. Psalm 139:13 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” I think when we experience anything wonderful in our life, we should want to share it with others we love and care about because we want them to feel the same things that brought us joy, or liberation from our bondage. Jesus certainly has done that for me, and I feel compelled to share His amazing grace and mercy and forgiveness with anyone I can. When you know the truth, you want to help people not be deceived anymore. I think that’s what drove David’s compassion for others, but also what caused him great distress when so many rejected the God who he knew so well. Let it be true of us that we would have the same heart as David did in this area of his faith walk.
Psalm 15:1
“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? David was not afraid to ask questions of the Lord and I think we should follow his lead. Our God is large enough to handle our questions and our doubts. In fact, it is most likely true that doubt is a necessary part of faith. David was in essence asking the Lord in Psalm 15:1 above “who is good enough to stand in your presence Lord? You are so holy, powerful and just. What can a poor sinner like me do to enter into your presence? That is the same mindset that many have today regarding Jesus. They may feel that their past sins or bad behavior has disqualified them or made them unworthy to God, but we learn in the scriptures that nothing could be further from the truth. There is no sin big enough to disqualify us from the love, forgiveness and mercy of the Lord, because His very nature is love ( 1 John 4:8 ) and it is His grace that saves us through faith, not our works ( Ephesians 2:8 ) The Bible makes it clear that if were left up to us, none of us would be able to stand in the Lord’s presence because we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God, every single one of us according to Romans 3:23. But thankfully, it’s not up to us and God sent Jesus as a substitution for our sin. Jesus took our sins upon himself so we could be made right to stand before a Holy God through Jesus’s holiness. He paid our sin tab in full for those who call upon His great name. Jesus was the sacrifice of atonement ( Romans 3:25 ) for our sin that was suitable to God in order for us to be able to stand in His presence. So, David was very wise to ask the rhetorical questions he did, because he knew in his own sinful state there wasn;t a way for him to enter into a right relationship with God. But David knew the Messiah was coming and he put his faith in the One to come, which was the key for the Old Testament Saints to be saved. David was a seeker of God, and a believer in the goodness of God, but maybe most importantly was reverent towards God and in awe of Him and His mighty power. Proverbs 9:10 says it this way “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Like David, we should bring our questions, fears and doubts to the Lord, and ask Him to help us understand the things we don’t get and to strengthen our faith. I love the verse in Mark 9:24 when a man of a son who is demon possessed asks Jesus if He is the One who can help his son get will, and Jesus assures the father that if he has faith and believes in Jesus, then he will see the miracle done. The man replies “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” That type of honesty in admitting our spiritual unbelief always leads to God meeting us where we are in bringing us deeper into our faith through some sort of positive reinforcement of who He is and what He has done and will do for us. David’s questions are great examples of the curiosity we should also exhibit in our relationship with God. He never will turn us away and there is no “dumb” questions when we are earnestly seeking Him.
Psalm 16:8
“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” David understood that for him to be successful and to feel secure his eyes must be always on the Lord. If he looked away to his own understanding or took a moment to reflect on all the danger all around him, he would become incapacitated and unable to perform his duties as King. He knew his security was only found in the Lord. How relevant is this to us today? I would say most relevant, because we have so much information flowing into our brains on a daily basis, through smart devices and other forms of technology, that can totally distract us from hearing God’s voice and relying on God for security if we are not careful.Like David we must also be aware of how vulnerable we are when we focus on anything but David for our security and leadership in our life. Everything else is shifting sand, but God is the firm foundation on which we can build our house. God is the One who has our best interests in mind, and His path for us is the one that will lead to the best outcome. When we are walking in His protection, we can rest easily knowing He’s making our way secure and keeping our enemies at bay. That can allow us to go about our days ahead with the utmost focus on our tasks free from fear that can drain our precious energy. That is very good news indeed.
Psalm 17:6
“I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.” I love this simple verse in Psalm 17:6 because it speaks to David’s confidence that God will answer his prayers and his pleas.It is expectant in nature, and that is a posture we should all have when we come before God. If we really don’t believe He can and will answer our prayers, as long as we have repented from any sin that may be blocking Him from hearing, and our prayers align with His will, then why would we even bother? But God’s word in the Bible is filled with promises that He hears our prayers and He will respond. Psalm 145:19, Proverbs 15:29 and James 1:6 are just a few examples of promises God makes around our prayers. But the one thing we must always remember is God’s answer to our prayers may not come as quick as we would want, and may not be the exact answer we desire. This is because God knows what is ultimately best for us. He knows firsthand what we need, not just what we want. He is not bound by our definition of time and space ( 2 Peter 3:8 ) and therefore he has a whole different perspective than us. I have had to learn and relearn these lessons over and over again in my life and so did David. But this never kept David from bringing his prayers constantly before the Lord, and doing so in an expectant manner. David had so much confidence in God because of how many times He had answered David’s prayers in the past, and protected him from trouble and harm. He had also seen God grant him great favor upon his life for his diligence in seeking God. It doesn’t mean that David had a straight line of perfection in his life, far from it, but he constantly was drawing nearer to God through both his mountain top and valley experiences. The same should be true for us. We should be always increasing in our fervor to be close to the Lord. He is a sweet, sweet aroma blowing through every detail of our life and our level of freedom on this side of eternity will be directly proportional to our level of surrender. David understood this and he wanted to let God know that without His protection and blessing, he had no chance in this life. He ran to the throne room of God and authentically laid all of his praise, requests, thanksgiving, worry, doubt and fear at his feet, and we would be wise to do the same. God loves when we approach Him in prayer with our heartfelt pleas and praises. Let’s never be shy about taking our life issues directly to God’s Throne Room.
Psalm 18:1
“I love you, Lord, my strength.” What a simplistic yet utterly beautiful verse this is. David is pouring out his heart’s affection to the Lord and letting Him know how much he loves Him and how much he needs Him. Like a baby needs their father to be their strength and protection for them, David is acknowledging how much he is aware of his need for the Lord’s provision and hedge of protection around him in his life. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13 that love is the greatest of all virtues. Without love, we cannot experience the fullness of God and we can’t share God with others. But most of all, like David we want to experience God’s perfect love which is the greatest form of love available in the world. 1 Corinthians 13: 1 says “If I speak in the tongues[of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal,” and the chapter ends in verse 13 with “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 John is a chapter in the Bible where we learn that the very nature of God is love. It is His character. God cannot do anything other than love His children because it would go against His character and that is impossible for Him to do. The very essence of God is love. 1 John 4:8 says “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:16 takes it even further when it proclaims “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” David knew God’s love and he relied on it to carry him through the dark valleys of his life. We also can experience God’s love firsthand. I know because I have and it is better than anything else I have ever experienced in my life and there’s not even a close second. Human love is great and beautiful, but it can be fragile, unpredictable, circumstantial and fleeting. God’s love is none of those things nor can it ever be. Instead it is constant, unending, full, forgiving, gracious, powerful, enthralling and pervasive. It alone can lift our spirits from the miry depths to a new plateau of pleasure and contentment every time we encounter it. God’s love is more penetrating and powerful than human love is capable of. It meets us deep in our heart and soul, where it has the power to free us from whatever is ailing us. God is omniscient which means He knows our thoughts, He knows our heart’s desires and He alone can provide a foundation of love that can actually change us from the inside out. David knew this love and had experienced it first hand and it changed him. It is impossible to encounter God’s authentic love and not be changed by it. I encountered it in my lowest moments, when I felt no worth and was empty from a lack of affirmation from my earthly father, and it healed my soul and restored my sense of purpose. The grace and forgiveness of God’s love is a stream of healing waters that takes away all of our pain and regret from our past mistakes, and it satisfies all the yearnings of our heart. I have not encountered anything even close to the fulfillment I have received from intimately feeling God’s love in my life. It has changed everything for me, just as it did for David. If nothing else, this is a great take away from what it means to walk in close proximity to the Lord. We get to experience His life altering love first hand and nothing can ever compare to that.
Psalm 19:1-2
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.” One thing about David that I really admire is how much he was always aware and blown away by the majesty of God’s Creation. He knew that the Universe was the result of an intricate and perfect design by the Master Creator that held everything up in its perfect place and that reflected His incredible power. As humans, we should never grow tired or weary from being blown away by our awesome Creator and by the works of His hands. All we need to do is to look into the night sky on a clear, crisp night or through a telescope to see the celestial magnificence of what God has created. The fact that nothing is an accident and everything was created by the work of a Master Creator, who holds everything in place and in the palm of His hand should never not be amazing. The fact that planets aren’t crashing into each other, and that we are not being destroyed by being too close or too far away from the Sun is reason to be in awe of God’s perfect design by itself. David took lots of time to reflect on and to find amazement in God’s glorious creation. This is something that we know brought him alignment in his relationship with who God was and who David was. To be in awe of an Omnipotent God is another way of worshipping Him. David got this right and so should we. It’s as simple as noticing what is all around us in nature and in the sky and taking time to praise the One who created it all.
Psalm 20:6-7
“Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” David trusted in the Lord for his victories above all else. He knew that nothing could compare to or compete with the power of God when it came to unleashing the power needed to succeed. When David slew the Giant Goliath in battle, he relied on God’s strength to provide the victory. He knew in the world’s eyes, he had no shot against this Giant in battle, but with God on his side, he felt he could not lose. I love how David responded to Goliath’s taunts before running out to confront him. Goliath was mocking and jeering David as a little boy and not worthy of his time, but David responded with the full force of God behind him when he said in 1 Samuel 17:45-47 “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” I love that mindset that we can also employ when we are up against opponents, situations or circumstances that appear to be way too big for us. When we see our battles not as our own, but as God’s, we can tap into that supernatural strength and positive energy that David was well familiar with. We can’t just turn this on like a lightswitch however. It takes time in God’s presence, preparing us to use what we need from Him at the proper time, when the battle gets really tough. David had been preparing for a long time when no one was watching. He had seen God’s power help him rescue the sheep from the paw of the bear and the mouth of the Lion, and he had spent time in the scriptures, reading about God’s undying love for Israel and how He had made a covenant with the people of Israel that He was their God, and they were His people. David didn’t look at the external circumstances when he ran to the battle field. He looked at God and his power and might and that gave him the confidence to win in battle against all odds. This has been true as I have learned to walk with and trust more in God. On my own, I often feel weak and incapable of slaying the giants in front of me, but God picks me up and dusts me off and reminds me that the battle is not mine, but his. Whether it’s addiction, or injustice you’re facing, or your past or the future, God is bigger than it all and He can carry you to victory, regardless of how big the odds seem stacked against you. God loves the underdog! David was the biggest underdog in history, but with God on his side, the Giant had no chance. It is the same for us. God and anyone else equals a majority. Trust in him and He will show you the path to victory.