These are not the words of someone who has doubts:
‘I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold’ (Psalm 18:1–2).
See all the ways the Psalmist describes his God, in just these opening lines: He is a rock, a fortress, a deliverer, a shield, a tower. And the Psalm goes on, a magnificent song of faith in God in whom he has absolute trust.
The heading of Psalm 18 tells us when it was written: ‘A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.’
David was the most celebrated king of Israel. He was anointed by God at an early age to replace the godless king Saul, and when he finally took the throne his reign was long and prosperous. But his early years, as he fled from Saul’s maniacal jealousy, then fought to establish the kingdom against hostility both at home and abroad, were full of danger, difficulty and stress.
Through all the perils and trials, David never gave up. He never gave in to bitterness or despair. His faith in his God brought him a peace of mind that could help him endure anything that life could throw at him.
Strengthened in the Lord
On one occasion David and his band of outlaw followers had fled into the wilderness from Saul’s pursuing army. But Saul’s son Jonathan was a courageous and faithful man, who was David’s ally. God provides encouragement for His servants in some very unlikely ways. ‘And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God’ (1 Samuel 23:16). How did he strengthen David’s hand? By reminding him that God had promised him the kingdom, and God was bigger than Saul. ‘And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this”’ (v. 17).
On another occasion David and his men had been obliged to leave Israel altogether and set up their base in the town of Ziklag in Philistia (modern Gaza). The fighting men left their families there while they attended a council of war, but when they returned the town had been attacked and their families taken captive. ‘Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep… And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God’ (1 Samuel 30:4–6).
How did he strengthen himself? By reminding himself that God was bigger even than this catastrophe. God had promised to look after him, and God would not let him down. As he said in another psalm, ‘When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?’ (Psalm 56:3–4).
A Shield About Me
Towards the end of his life, David faced perhaps his most grievous trial. His own son Absalom made a treacherous bid for the throne. It was swift and well planned, and while a large section of the royal court and the country’s population sided with Absalom, David was forced to flee from Jerusalem with his loyal followers and head for the hills (the account is in 2 Samuel 15–16).
He wrote Psalm 3 at this time: ‘O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me (vs. 1–5).
Even when his own son and his people had turned against him, he would not despair—God was bigger than them. Imagine having such confidence: that God will look after you, whatever life throws at you!
To be a follower of Jesus Christ is to have your life in perspective. He told his followers: ‘Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom’
(Luke 12:29-32). Dangers and hardships are a part of life—but God is bigger than them all, and He is on your side.