Day 7: From Strength to strength
David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37 - NKJV).
Our Father in heaven, Blessed are those whose strength is in You; whose hearts are set on pilgrimage (Psalm 84:5).
From the beginning of their journey, Your people witnessed Your deliverance and sang in praise to You: “I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted… “The Lord is my strength and my defense… Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy...The Lord reigns for ever and ever” (Exodus 15:1, 2, 6,18).
The story of their deliverance continued through forty years of wilderness wandering, with You leading—always leading, in spite of their rebellion—to the land of promise. It was a story that David came to not only know, but also to experience as You took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep [and] brought him to be the shepherd of Your people Jacob, of Israel Your inheritance (Psalm 78:70-71).
Lord God, when You delivered David from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear (1 Samuel 17:37), he did not know that this was preparation for battle with a formidable giant; and when You delivered him from the giant, he could never have foreseen the battles ahead, and the ever-increasing need for Your deliverance.
We have much to learn about deliverance from the history of Your people, and particularly from the life of David. We may not be called, as he was, to rule over an earthly kingdom, but the Lord Jesus who loves us...has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father… (Revelation 1:5-6). And like David, we must undergo much by way of preparation.
Strong Deliverer, build our faith, our confidence, and our trust in You as You prepare us for each successive stage of our journey. Take us from strength to strength (Psalm 84:7) as we face our lions, our bears, our giants, our "Sauls", our armies, and sometimes even our own "beloved betrayers".
O Lord, the battle is Yours. At times the intensity can seem overwhelming. But even when we are hounded and pursued on all sides, You go with us up every mountain, over every rock, into every cave. And we can say, like David, Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life (Psalm 138:7).
Deliver us, O God who delivers us! (1 Chronicles 16:35 - NET).
