Hands prepared for battle, ready for trouble, and trained to praise
By Dean Collins
The shepherd boy who became king was good with his hands. In the opening lines of Psalm 144 we read David’s declaration that God trained his hands for war and his fingers for battle. As King, David was the commander of Israel’s army. David’s reputation as a great warrior started back in his youth when he bravely took down Goliath when King Saul’s warriors were too afraid to enter the fight.
And both before and after David’s defeat of Goliath, he used his hands to play music. As a shepherd boy, David had many hours to hone his skills both with the harp and lyre. We are blessed to have many psalms David likely sang with his harp as he lifted his praise and worship to the God of Heaven.
But we also read in Psalm 63:4 that David lifted his hands in praise to God. The Psalms and other Scriptures give us examples of God’s beloved children raising their hands in praise, in prayer, and to offer blessings. As we are in the early days of a new year, it strikes me that maybe this year would be a good time to spend some time training our hands as well as our minds and hearts for the work God has called us to do in this season.
Prepared for battles
The life, teaching, and ministry of Jesus remind us that as his followers we will have opposition as we live as citizens of his kingdom. Even in the Lord’s Prayer, we see that we need protection from the evil one: “and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Peter wrote that the enemy lurks as a lion ready to pounce.
Just as David wrote that God had prepared his hands for war and his fingers for battle, we can also be prepared for our battles by spending time in prayer, in praise, and even by lifting our hands to God in worship.
As David reflected on the mighty power of God, he also considered how insignificant we are in contrast to all of God’s attributes. David also helps us remember that our lives are like a passing shadow contrasting with God’s eternal presence. This is a good reminder that even when we have seasons of difficulty this year, our difficulty and our battles are limited in time. And in the end, we will stand victorious because of Jesus.
The apostle Paul gave us clear teaching on who we battle against and how to prepare for the enemy attacks that will surely come. But Paul also encouraged us as he considered his life declaring that he had fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.
Rescued from falsehood
As David ended Psalm 144, he prayed that God would rescue him from the hands of those who speak falsehood. I pray that God will do that for us this year as well. Every day we hear many falsehoods and are offered many false hopes of things that will help us and even save us, yet only a life that is resting in Christ will ultimately bring us victory.
In the last 4 verses of Psalm 144, David offered a prayer we can pray for each other today. May it be a blessing on you and yours in this new year:
“May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace; may our granaries be full, providing all kinds of produce; may our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields; may our cattle be heavy with young, suffering no mishap or failure in bearing; may there be no cry of distress in our streets! Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!“
Praying for you that God will indeed bring both victory over the enemy, success in ministry, and encouragement for your family in 2024!
Your time with God’s Word
Psalm 144:1-15; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; Ephesians 6:10-20; 2 Timothy 4:7-8; Psalm 63:4 ESV
Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash
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