In his deliverance, his first words of thanks were to the Lord

By Dean Collins

It must have been quite a day! It’s the kind of day that stirs the minds and hearts of poets and songwriters, a day worth remembering for a whole lifetime.

The day I have in mind is the one Samuel described to begin chapter 22 of his second book: “And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.”

Our day like that

I bet each of us can name at least one day like this one. Maybe you think yours doesn’t compare to what David described, but it was a significant day for you and probably for others. David often made note of his day, and we should be glad he did. We gain much strength from reading his stories. We have friends, family, coworkers, and even strangers who might benefit from ours as well if we have the courage to share what God has done.

Of course, part of the problem is we often want to take too much of the credit. We often think and act as if it is really about us. And we sometimes fear we will be forgotten if we don’t remind the people around us. The lifecycle of how long people remember us might be about the same whether we give God the credit or try to take credit for it ourselves. But the impact of declaring what God has done will change the quality of our lives and transform the lives of others in ways we can’t begin to imagine.

A place like David’s

Look again at that sentence from 2 Samuel, and notice what it has for us to consider. Samuel said David spoke to the Lord the words of this song. Before he made a pronouncement to others, he shared his heart with the Lord. Songs, poems, and even blogs tend to come out of quiet reflection. If we do not set aside time to think and reflect, we will miss untold amounts of insight and awareness about ourselves. We will also miss moments where God speaks to us in the quiet places.

We might object that we have no quiet place. I’ve learned over the years that we don’t find such a place until we make the search a priority. We must be willing to pull away, shut down the noise, and choose to be quiet. For me, this happens early in the morning most days. But like you, I find that my plans and routines sometimes get interrupted. That’s life. But when life happens we must persist in finding other moments. I’m not talking about long times. Just find the minutes to stop, breathe, say a prayer, read a Scripture, and listen. These practices have a centering effect. We gain perspective on whose we are and on what is important to God and therefore to us as well. Sometimes these moments will bring new ideas and maybe one day a poem, a song, or a thought that can be shared.

God’s deliverance like none other

David’s declaration on the day when the Lord delivered him is a little confusing. He said this day was when God delivered him from all of his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. History would suggest that couldn’t be the same day. Early on in David’s life, God delivered David from King Saul on a few occasions, and ultimately Saul didn’t leave David alone until his death. Years passed, and David had many battles he lived to tell about and for which he gave thanks, offered praise, and declared that God had delivered him.

Sometimes the deliverance came in a battle and sometimes it came in a cave. Sometimes it appears that David was more involved and sometimes it seems he was less involved. But David knew his deliverance came from the hand and heart of God every time.

As David continued his song he spoke of many ways God brought deliverance, strength, hope, and clarification.

“He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters”
“He rescued me from my strong enemy…for they were too mighty for me”
“The Lord was my support”
“He brought me into a broad place”
“He rescued me…because he delighted in me”

God’s help beyond imagination

God’s love, grace, mercy, and character never change; he is always available. He will come to us and for us as we seek him. David spoke as one who many times felt overwhelmed and was literally surrounded with no way or place to escape, except by God’s hands of deliverance. These moments were frightening for David as they are for us. Yet in these moments we pray and we wait on the Lord. He is the one who can bring help beyond our imagination.

As David recalled his deliverance he also remembered how he gained strength from God during and after his deliverance. The actions David described were not with rocks and spears but were actions of faith and surrender.

“….from his statutes I did not turn aside”
“….by my God I can leap over a wall”
“He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him”
“He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me on the heights”

The song records many other works of God that David could not and did not claim to do on his own. God intervened in David’s life. He can and will intervene in ours as well. We can take confidence in our moments of stress, not by our strength but in and through the Lord.

The work of Jesus

In faith, David declared that the Lord lives, is the exalted God, and is the rock of his salvation. We know more. We know that Jesus, by his work on the cross, brings ultimate deliverance and salvation. We know God is active today and will remain active as we seek him today and throughout the future. We look ahead to that day when the great deliverance and transformation of the earth and all of God’s creation takes place.

We will have hard, stressful, and restless seasons. Some will last longer than we desire. But our Rock, our Redeemer, is present and will act on our behalf. When he does, make sure you thank him and then declare to others what happened on your day of deliverance. Someone needs to hear your story. It will get them through another day and possibly even bring them to the foot of the cross where they, too, will find ultimate and forever deliverance.

Your time with God’s Word
2 Samuel‬ ‭22:17-23, 28-31, 34, 37, 47‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Photo by Sarah Noltner at unsplash.com

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