Rise up and be our help!
Scripture
For I will not trust in my bow, Nor will my sword save me.
(Psalms 44:6 NASB)
But You have saved us from our adversaries, And You have put to shame those who hate us.
(Psalms 44:7 NASB)
In God we have boasted all day long, And we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah.
(Psalms 44:8 NASB)
Rise up, be our help, And redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.
(Psalms 44:26 NASB)
(Psalms 44:6 NASB)
But You have saved us from our adversaries, And You have put to shame those who hate us.
(Psalms 44:7 NASB)
In God we have boasted all day long, And we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah.
(Psalms 44:8 NASB)
Rise up, be our help, And redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.
(Psalms 44:26 NASB)
Observation
The Psalmist is giving God the glory for the victories in battle.
David, an expertly skilled warrior says that he's not going to trust in
his bow, nor his sword to save him. This is exactly what David could
have trusted in, because he was very good at using these two items.
Instead, even though this was the area of his strongest gifting, he
chose to trust in God. He thanked God for saving him from his enemies
and said he was going to continue to boast about God all day long! The
Psalm ends with a plea for the future -- that God, in each and every new
circumstance that he faced, would rise up and help him. Not because
God had to, but because of God's very nature, which David had come to
know and understand.
Application
This Psalm is written by someone with an incredibly intimate
relationship with God. There is so much about God's character that is
revealed here and should be a lesson for us. First of all, there should
be no boasting about human skill or ability. Even the expert skills
which David had, were seen as a gift from God. We must recognize that
any skills or abilities which we have acquired are not our own. There
is nothing about our abilities that we should boast about, but rather,
dedicate all of ourselves to God and to his use in the kingdom.
Just because you may have particular talents and abilities doesn't mean that things will be easy for you. David had his adversaries -- those who literally tracked him down. The man who should have loved and appreciated David the most, became jealous and tried to destroy David, in an effort to make himself look good. David with all of his skills and abilities had to hide. However, in his distress, David constantly called out to God, and an intimate relationship began to develop. It was in the intimacy of that relationship that David understood how small he really was, compared to God.
David learned how to have a conversation with God, simply because he hung out with God. He learned to communicate to God the desires of his heart. He learned to give God the glory for everything that was being accomplished in and through him. He realized that he was simply God's person for the hour and that he had to be faithful. Therefore he praised God over and over and over again! A key to his intimacy was praising God. How much time do we take in prayer to simply praise our God? Or are our prayers occupied with a "wish-list" for God's intervention in our lives? For David, after his intimate times with God, loving and praising him, he felt that he could go to God with confidence with his requests. David's request is much like Joshua's when he asked God to hold the sun still. David's intimacy with God had helped him to understand the very nature of God. God was not about anger or punishment, but rather, he understood that God's nature was pure, holy love. Because of God's lovingkindness he could ask him to intercede -- to "Rise Up" and be the very necessary help in the days ahead.
Intimacy with God must be cultivated until we get to know the very nature of God. Once that begins to happen our requests and intercession flow out of an understanding of that nature. The more we know about God, the more we become dependent upon him as we recognize that all that we have, is simply a gift from him. God wants us to know him at such an intimate level that we, too, can ask God to "rise-up" and do battle for us, on a daily basis. Can't you just imagine God going before you, preparing the path for you to walk through this life as an unobstructed reflection of Jesus! God is rising up -- it's time for us follow close behind.
Just because you may have particular talents and abilities doesn't mean that things will be easy for you. David had his adversaries -- those who literally tracked him down. The man who should have loved and appreciated David the most, became jealous and tried to destroy David, in an effort to make himself look good. David with all of his skills and abilities had to hide. However, in his distress, David constantly called out to God, and an intimate relationship began to develop. It was in the intimacy of that relationship that David understood how small he really was, compared to God.
David learned how to have a conversation with God, simply because he hung out with God. He learned to communicate to God the desires of his heart. He learned to give God the glory for everything that was being accomplished in and through him. He realized that he was simply God's person for the hour and that he had to be faithful. Therefore he praised God over and over and over again! A key to his intimacy was praising God. How much time do we take in prayer to simply praise our God? Or are our prayers occupied with a "wish-list" for God's intervention in our lives? For David, after his intimate times with God, loving and praising him, he felt that he could go to God with confidence with his requests. David's request is much like Joshua's when he asked God to hold the sun still. David's intimacy with God had helped him to understand the very nature of God. God was not about anger or punishment, but rather, he understood that God's nature was pure, holy love. Because of God's lovingkindness he could ask him to intercede -- to "Rise Up" and be the very necessary help in the days ahead.
Intimacy with God must be cultivated until we get to know the very nature of God. Once that begins to happen our requests and intercession flow out of an understanding of that nature. The more we know about God, the more we become dependent upon him as we recognize that all that we have, is simply a gift from him. God wants us to know him at such an intimate level that we, too, can ask God to "rise-up" and do battle for us, on a daily basis. Can't you just imagine God going before you, preparing the path for you to walk through this life as an unobstructed reflection of Jesus! God is rising up -- it's time for us follow close behind.
Prayer
Lord, may I follow you in every detail of this day. Amen.
The more time we spend with God, the more we will crave to please Him. This intimate relationship that He developes with us gives us "Ambition" to please Him. Just as Paul wrote to the Corinthians that he had ambition. Not the "ambition" that we think of as anyone clawing thier way to the top, but to serve and please God! This will drive all to Total Surrender....spend Time with God! Amen...what a great devotion! I needed this.
ReplyDelete