Genesis 39-40, Psalm 18:1-24, Matthew 7:15-29, Acts 10:24-48

Psalm 18:1-24:

Looking back when the dark night of the soul is over, or when the very real battle is finished, it is easy to forget just how hard it was. This psalm recalls the experience of God rescuing David from his enemies, even from the hand of Saul, and it records it all with great reality and emotive power. This is what it feels like to be in trouble.

But whatever the feeling, the greater truth is this is who God is! The LORD is David’s “strength.” Dwell on that truth this morning if you feel weak. God is your strength. The question of God’s kingdom is never, “Do I have enough strength, are there enough resources, will my power suffice?” The question is always, “Who is God?” David’s answer is that God is his strength.

If God is your strength, what a mighty strength is that! God is David’s rock, the one in whom he takes refuge. Never stare your circumstances in the face and make decisions based upon them alone; stare God full in the face, and trust him and his Word despite the fear of your circumstance. The right thing to do is always to do what is right, for God is your strength!

But not only is the LORD David’s strength, he is also a prayer-hearing God. “In my distress I called upon the LORD” (18:6). Call upon the LORD today if you are in distress. There is saying your prayers, and then there is calling upon the Lord. The two are not the same. Speak to God as if he is real and can hear you, for he is real and can hear you. If you were talking to me, you would not say your request in a rote way. You would talk to me. Speak to God—directly, through faith in Christ, humbly. Call upon him desperately. God is a prayer-hearing God. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.

And then the LORD is a God who acts. With what power! With what might! The earth reeled, the foundations of the mountains shook, because he was angry (18:7). When God moves in power, watch out! He also “thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice” (18:13). God rescued David even though David’s enemies were too mighty for David. They were too mighty for David, but they were not too mighty for God. The question is never, “Can I do this in my own strength?” The question is, “Is God asking me to do this in his Word?” And if so, therefore, he will provide the strength!

But then note why David said that God intervened and rescued him. “According to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me” (18:20). David is not claiming sinless perfection. He is saying that God listened, not merely to the prayer of his lips, but also to the prayer of his life. He did not say one thing and do another. His life was committed to God, and God was committed to his life.

Would you this morning, then, remember that God is strong? Would you, therefore, pray to God and call upon God? Would you, then, rejoice in the mighty power of God as he moves in power?