Word of Encouragement (01/23/2024)
He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great. 37 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip; 38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and did not turn back until they were consumed. 39 I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise; they fell under my feet. 40 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. 41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, those who hated me, and I destroyed them. 42They looked, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them. 43 I beat them fine as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets. (2 Sam. 22:35-43)
David praises God, saying, “You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip” (v. 37). Let us remember that we are in the middle of David’s praise of God through battle imagery. We can see why David is so grateful for “a wide place for my steps”: obvious is the advantage of being positioned at such a place in the battle, especially when you are on a plateau and the enemies must charge up a steep, slippery hill.
Of course, David was not simply talking about the strategic value of a topographical advantage. He could have said the same thing even if the situation were reversed: the enemies occupying a wide place under their feet and him charging up a steep hill. If God placed him in a wide place, he would give thanks to God for the advantage. But he knew that what gave him victory was not strategic advantages that came from his location, the size of his army, the quality of his weaponry, etc. God can certainly use these things to usher in victory. But there have been plenty of cases, in which the final victory went to the underdog instead of the favorite. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God...; the victory belongs to the LORD” (Ps. 20:7, Prov. 21:31).
We should not be arrogant and overly confident when things look good in our lives. “Pride goes before the fall.” The very advantages we put our confidence in and the blessings we crave can work us woe. Why do we want them? Is it so we can be more autonomous and not be so dependent on God? Isn’t that what an idol is? Are the blessings we enjoy in life drawing us closer to God or away from God? I’m not saying that we should be spiritually vigilant as a way to keep God’s earthly blessings and get more. People can be wildly blessed with earthly riches, but we can still say of them, “Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin” (Ps. 73:18). We can be trekking a treacherous path (from the earthly perspective), but still have the assurance if we walk with the Lord, “He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber” (Ps. 121:3).
If that is true, how should we view the circumstances of our lives? I hope you agree that what matters is not whether we win or lose the various battles we must fight in life; what should ultimately matter to us is whether we walk with God whether we win or lose. There is no victory worth winning if we must compromise our faith in the Lord. But a defeat is no defeat if we remain loyal to Him through it all with our heads held up high, fixing our eyes on Jesus Christ. Let us give thanks to God that He has placed us in a wide place where Jesus Christ is the solid foundation! Let us remember that the greatest battle of our lives is to cling to Jesus Christ against all the pressures and temptations of the world and sin!