Word of Encouragement (01/31/2024)
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. 42 They 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)
In v. 42, David describes the awful condition of his enemies: “They looked, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.” This is what it is like to oppose the one and only true God.
Many people live under the delusion of autonomy and self-sufficiency. They believe that they can do whatever they put their minds to. They think that they don’t need anybody. With their “indomitable will,” they can weather any storm and come out stronger on the other side. We must acknowledge that our will is a powerful faculty, with which God has endowed us. It is amazing how much people can achieve and persevere through when the will is there. Some managed to survive even the Nazi concentration camps. But can we say that they did so purely by the strength of their will, that there was no element of “luck”? “But there are dreams [or goals] that cannot be, / And there are storms we cannot weather” (“I Dreamed a Dream”) no matter how hard we try. Can anyone resist the onset of dementia by his sheer will? What if God said, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you...,” who could extend his life even for a day by his will?
Those of us, who have lived long enough, must admit that we all have been there where all our will and wisdom proved to be terribly wanting, and we felt so small and insignificant, so helpless and clueless. How devasting it is to feel all alone at that moment, to have no one to turn to! Even if we are blessed with true friends, who do not close their ears to our groaning and turn their faces away from our troubles, they may be powerless to do anything about it despite their sincere love for us. “They looked, but there was none to save” even though many were there with their sympathizing and tearful eyes.
What is worse, “they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them”! It is surprising that David’s enemies should cry to the LORD (YHWH). Did David have in mind people like Saul and Ish-bosheth, his fellow countrymen, who fought against him? Possibly. “But it seems better to explain... that the heathen did sometimes, as a last resort, pray to a foreign god, whom they seemed to find by experience to be more powerful than their own (Jonah 1:14). Jehovah was known by name, as the God of the Israelites, to the surrounding nations” (Pulpit Commentary, Ps. 18). The enemies of God’s people should not expect any help from the LORD. Even if God granted them their specific petition(s), it would be ultimately for their demise.
How wonderful it is to have the LORD as our God! How wonderful it is to have Someone to turn to in times of trouble—Someone who is almighty and wise and dependable beyond measure! We have this assurance that, when we come in the name of His beloved Son, He will never reject us or plug His ears! Instead of feeling helpless and bitter, let us approach the throne of God’s grace with boldness and persistence!