Memory Verse of the Day (if I can remember it!)

James 4:7 "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you."

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Mothers Shape the World

What do Steven Harper, Billy Graham and Ted Bundy all have in common? They all have or had a mother. That just might be a bit of an obvious statement, to be sure. But the fact is, each one of us here has, or had, a mother who helped us develop into who we are today.

Some of us were shaped positively, some negatively. We grew up either under loving care, or under uncertain neglect. Some of us can look back at happy memories of our moms, while others look back and maybe mourn a loss. I was blessed enough to have a very loving and caring upbringing with both a Mother as well as a Father that cared, loved and helped shape me into a child of God. Not only that, but I was surrounded by friends, family, and many other positive “motherly” influences. Even now, I look at my wife and our friends and I see so many positive mothers influencing the next generation. But I’m not so naive to think that everyone has had the same experiences. And as such, I do understand that celebrating Mother’s day can be a bittersweet day for many. But the fact remains that regardless of whether a mother wants to or not, she is shaping the next generation one child at a time.

Mothers have the power to shape the world. And a Christian mother has the ability to shape the world in a way beyond our imagination by her devotion to God.

This morning I want to talk about a mother that is an example for us all, not just an example for mothers. The bible is full of great examples of mothers. From Eve to Mary and many others, we see many examples of strong, loving, and caring mothers. So why Hannah, you many ask? Here’s an example of a mother that really spent very little time actually being a mom, right? And yet she is an example for us to follow?

Let’s dig a little deeper into who this woman of the Old Testament was, and what examples she lived out for us.

When we first meet Hannah in I Samuel we meet a woman that is actually in pain. We find Hannah in tears, because she was barren. In those times, not being able to have children was a major deal, even considered a failure of a wife’s duties. To add to the situation Hannah was in, her husband had a second wife who was able to conceive and taunted Hannah about it.

1 Samuel 1:1-8

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite[a] from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

3 Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD. 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb. 6 Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”

Hannah’s troubles, however, produced in her a level of desperation that caused her to seek God’s help. As Christians, it is often during our struggles, during our hardest times that we are the most devoted to God. We find ourselves praying more frequently, reading the Word more faithfully and following God more fervently. Hannah was no different. As her troubles drove her to tears, they also drove her to God.

1 Samuel 1:9-18

9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the LORD’s house. 10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

12 As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

15 “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

17 Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

18 She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

Let’s look at Hannah’s prayer. She’s praying as she is weeping, and she pleads with God to “...look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son...” At this point, we are seeing a desperate and maybe even angry Hannah as she put her request before God.

She had good reason to be discouraged and upset. She could not have children, she had to share her husband with another woman, a woman who laughed in her face and mocked her, her husband was unable to help her and even the high priest did not understand her motives. Yet instead of being bitter and resentful, she brought her problem before God hopeful that He would help her. Her prayer opened up the way for God to work.

This prayer also shows us an example of a God who cares about us. Our purpose on this earth is to worship and glorify God. Not to have nice cars or a big house. Not to work. Not even to have children. And yet, God still sees us and cares about our desires and wishes. Hannah’s prayer doesn’t show any worship, praise or even adoration. At this point, she is simply beyond herself, and instead cries out for God’s mercy. In fact, she even bargains with God. She promises God that if He gives her a son, she would give that son right back to Him. But God still cares, and God listens.

One key thing we can pick up here from Hannah’s prayer is that God wants to hear the desires of our hearts. He wants to hear our pain. Hannah expressed her true feelings with honesty, laying it all out before God. We should do the same. Yes, it is critical that we glorify and praise God. But, as imperfect humans living in a broken world, God knows that we will go through times that cause us to fall on our knees, pouring our hearts out to Him.

But, let’s notice here not just Hannah’s desperate prayer. Notice also what she does afterwards. Hannah went away, ate something, and was in better spirits (her face was no longer downcast). She left her problems with God! She poured out her heart before her Saviour, and then left her problems with Him. She believed that God would take care of her, and she left upbeat and positive. So often, we find ourselves pouring our hearts out to God, laying our problems down before Him, only to gather them all up again and bring those same problems back out with us rather than leaving them in God’s capable hands.

I Samuel 1:19-23

19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,[b] saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.”

21 When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, 22 Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the LORD, and he will live there always.”[c]

23 “Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the LORD make good his[d] word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

God gave Hannah the desire of her heart! Hannah gave birth to a boy! One thing I would like to point out here is the dedication of this family to God. First of all, they made a yearly trip to Shiloh to worship God and offer sacrifices. Secondly, we find Hannah in desperation praying and pouring her heart out to God. And now, the next morning before they leave, they once again get up early and the first thing they do is they go and worship the Lord again before returning home. God does honour Hannah’s plea, but let’s not overlook the fact that Hannah and her family were dedicated in their worship and praise of the Lord as well. Hannah displayed full trust and devotion to her God throughout these hard times. Hannah understood that while she was in misery, in the end worship of the Lord was still of utmost importance.

And God rewards her devotion by giving her a son.

Let’s continue reading.

I Samuel 1:24-28

24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull,[e] an ephah[f] of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. 25 When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. 27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.” And he worshiped the LORD there.

This is the section of this story that is truly amazing. Many of us can relate to Hannah in her sorrow and desperation. Some of us can even relate to maybe even attempting to bargain with God. But very few of us can stand there beside Hannah and proudly say that we held up our end of the “bargain” that we made with God. Hannah does.

Hannah raises Samuel until he was weaned. How old Samuel was, it doesn’t say here exactly in these chapters. The New Living Translation says that Hannah tells Eli the priest that she had stood before him several years before praying for a son. Regardless, whether he was 2 years old or 6 years old, the fact remains that he was a very small, young boy. And Hannah gave him to God.

Can you imagine? How many of you here today are mothers? Even fathers? Can you imagine giving up your only child to the church? Can you imagine walking away from your son? I can’t. I have a hard enough time parting with my tithe sometimes... Do you remember the story of the rich man who asked Jesus what he needed to do to get to heaven? Jesus responded that he must give up everything he owned, which made the rich man sad because he knew he couldn’t do it. Yet Hanna gave up her son! Don’t you think if given the option, she would’ve gladly chosen her belongings over her son? Instead, Hannah entrusts her son to the Lord, not begrudgingly, but with joy.

The key here is that she gave him to the Lord. She didn’t entrust him with Eli, the priest. In fact, if you are familiar with the story surrounding Eli and his sons at this time, you can be sure that Eli was not very good at raising children. Chapter 2 says that Eli’s two sons were “scoundrels” with “no regard for the Lord.” They manipulated the people, they stole food that the people of Israel would offer as sacrifices to the Lord. They treated God with contempt and disrespect, and yet they held a position of power over the people. If they did this in front of everyone, I can only imagine what life might have been like in the temple behind closed doors. This was no place for a child to be raised and taught about the Lord!

Yet, this is not what Hannah saw. Hannah saw her God, and trusted in her God, not the priests. She rested in who she knew she served, not in the humans that were displaying such a poor example of what following God really was. These priests could’ve learned a lot just from Hannah!

Hannah not only gives up her son, the child that she so desperately wanted, but she does so willingly and joyfully. They sacrificed to God, and worshipped him. Not once does it mention anything about Hannah feeling regret or remorse. This feeling of confidence can only come from one place, and that’s from God.

How often have you entered into a situation that was out of your control? How often did life seem uncertain and by all logic, you had nothing to rely on? Take a lesson out of the life of Hannah. Don’t put your trust in what is untrustworthy. Put your trust in God. And you can face the uncertainties with joy.

Let’s continue reading into the next chapter, the prayer of Hannah.

I Samuel 2:1-10

1 Then Hannah prayed and said:

   “My heart rejoices in the LORD;
   in the LORD my horn[a] is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
   for I delight in your deliverance.

2 “There is no one holy like the LORD;
   there is no one besides you;
   there is no Rock like our God.

3 “Do not keep talking so proudly
   or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the LORD is a God who knows,
   and by him deeds are weighed.

4 “The bows of the warriors are broken,
   but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
   but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
   but she who has had many sons pines away.

6 “The LORD brings death and makes alive;
   he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
   he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust
   and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
   and has them inherit a throne of honor.

   “For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s;
   on them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
   but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.

   “It is not by strength that one prevails;
10 those who oppose the LORD will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
   the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.

   “He will give strength to his king
   and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

For those of you out there who are moms, if you had just given up your only child at such a young age, would these be the words coming out of your mouth? How about the fathers in the room? This should’ve been a heart wrenching ordeal. And yet, Hannah’s confidence and satisfaction in God is simply amazing.

So how does this story relate to Mother’s Day? Here’s a woman that didn’t have any children at first. Then, she has a son for a few years at the most, and yet gives him to the Lord. So how is Hannah a good example of a good mother? Hannah, through her devotion to God, influenced the direction of a nation. Had Hannah turned bitter towards God about being barren, had she resented Him, and not prayed her prayer of desperation, then who knows, but maybe God wouldn’t have used her! And yet, Samuel was born to Hannah, Samuel who became one of Israel’s greatest prophets. A leader who ushered in a great era. Samuel’s devotion to God was unequalled, and we can now see that he had an amazing example to follow in his own mother.

Consider the impact Samuel had on Israel. The state of Israel at the time was fading. The priests were leading Israel along a dangerous path, and once Samuel took over, he began putting the country back on the right track and he led Israel in the way they should be, as nation of God. Samuel was also responsible for leading in the era of the Kings. First with King Saul, but then more importantly with King David.

All of this wasn’t possible if it weren’t for Hannah’s dedication to God. Hannah’s willingness to serve God, no matter what, resulted in one of Israel’s most successful eras.

And Hannah’s influence didn’t end once she walked away from her son. She made Samuel a new cloak every year that she and her husband came to Shiloh. She wasn’t heavily involved in his upbringing, but she still had input in his life. And you can rest assured that Hannah’s prayers turned from pleading with God for a child, to placing that child in God’s hands daily. As a mother, she would think of Samuel I’m sure on a daily basis, praying for him and placing him in God’s hands.

To contrast this, I mentioned Ted Bundy earlier. I don’t want to even begin to discuss his life here this morning. But what I will mention is his upbringing. He was born to a single mother, and his father is an unknown. He was raised by his grandparents, of whom his grandfather was known to be abusive, and his grandmother was timid and depressed. Is it any surprise that Ted took such a negative and dark path in his life?

Of course, your upbringing is no excuse for your actions today. Good people can come from bad upbringings, and bad people can come from good upbringings. But the vast majority of us end up positively or negatively largely based on the positive or negative influences of our lives. Our mothers are a huge part of those influences.

Let’s consider more examples of a mother’s influence. First of all, Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary became pregnant with Jesus before she was married. Likely, the majority of those around her didn’t buy the whole “virgin birth” story. As such, Mary and Joseph most likely raised Jesus under a tainted reputation. People probably saw Mary as a “scandalous” woman. They most likely looked down upon her, probably even mocking her or avoiding her when they would see Mary on the streets.

Later on, as Jesus begins his ministry, we also see that at some point Joseph is out of the picture, leaving Mary as a widow.

And, during Jesus’ ministry, who were the two types of women that he showed most compassion to? Prostitutes and Widows. He knew what it was like to live life as a “scandal”, and he knew what it was like to live life as a child of a widow. Yet, Mary’s dedication and devotion to God is evident also in her ability to let Jesus go. She trusted in God, regardless of the circumstances of her own life.

How about a more recent example of a mother’s influence? We all know President Obama. What maybe we all don’t know is his upbringing. His father left when he was 2 years old. His mother was a strong woman, and raised him on her own. Here are some quotes about Obama’s mother:

· “...people who knew [his mother] well say they see her influence unmistakably in Mr. Obama.”

· “He would not be where he is today, he has said, had it not been for her.”

· “I think sometimes that had I known she would not survive her illness, I might have written a different book — less a meditation on the absent parent, more a celebration of the one who was the single constant in my life.” (Obama, in reference to his book he wrote about his Father)

Whether positively or negatively, mothers influence and shape the world. People like Ted Bundy have shaped the world in a negative way, creating fear, sadness and hopelessness. People like Obama, regardless of your political views of him, have the power to shape the world in a way that will impact all for years to come. And people like Samuel did shape the nation of Israel, bringing them closer to God and demonstrating what it meant to be a follower of the Lord, dedicated and devoted.

A mother’s influence is not something to take lightly. For those of us that can look back on our lives and recognize the positive influence our mother’s had, and how they shaped our lives, lets thank them. For those of us who are helping our wives be mothers to our children, let’s give them the support, love and encouragement that they need to be the positive influence in our children’s life. For those of us maybe on the sidelines, friends and family of a mother, let’s dedicate ourselves to helping these mothers continue to be a positive influence. Hannah had the support of a loving and caring husband to help her through. Let’s all work together to encourage those mothers around us.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Trusting in an Awesome God

This morning I want to talk about trust in God. But instead of discussing with you how we should trust in God, or even why we should do so as children of God. What I would rather focus on this morning is who God is, and after which we will hopefully discover more about how we are fools not to trust in Him.

The other day Corrie and I took the kids down to the river bank. I was carrying Avery, who is our 1 year old youngest. I started walking along a log, over and into the water a bit. Avery was completely relaxed the entire time, showing no signs of worry or trepidation whatsoever. I thought about our older kids, and how they would most likely be gripping my neck tightly, maybe even whining as they consider the possibility of falling into the water. Avery, on the other hand, had no thought about what could happen. Instead, she was entirely trusting in my ability to keep her from harm. And it made me think about us, as children of God, as well.

One of my favourite passages is Psalms 18. I think this is an excellent passage depicting a side of God that we rarely see, hear or even discuss.

Vs 1-3: Glorifying God for his glorious works and blessings.

1I love you, LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
   my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
   my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
   and I have been saved from my enemies.

This is what I want to talk about this morning. This is the direction I hope we can all start to head. I want this for my life, and I hope most or all of you do as well. That we can say, without hesitation or wavering, that God is our rock and fortress. That God is my protection. I find one of the most frustrating things in my life is converting head knowledge into heart knowledge. I mean, I know these things. I grew up as a missionary kid, so these sort of “clichés” were engrained in my head from a very young age. But turning this more into heart knowledge has become increasingly difficult. This morning, by diving deeper into who God is and exploring his awesome power I hope that we can all begin to focus more on transferring this sort of reliance on God from something we say with our lips, to something we live with our hearts. He is a ROCK that cannot be moved by any who would harm us. He is a FORTRESS or place of safety where the enemy cannot follow and a SHEILD that comes between us and harm. He is the POWER that saves and a PLACE OF SAFETY high above our enemies. So how can we begin truly believing these statements, how can we begin to live a life that reflects these truths?

Vs 4-6: God saves us from our worst entanglements and His protection is limitless for His people.

4 The cords of death entangled me;
   the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
   the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called to the LORD;
   I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
   my cry came before him, into his ears.

We have all faced hard times. We have all had to live through struggles, through rough circumstances. David here speaks words of utter despair. Death entangles him. Floods of destruction surround him. Grave wraps its ropes around him. David is expressing a feeling of utmost helplessness. I read these words, and in a small way I feel that I can relate. I may not have experienced extreme pain and loss, but I feel like I have gone through (and still am going through) situations in my life and walk that have caused me to feel like throwing in the towel. And at times, I think I actually have thrown in the towel. Depression, anger and frustration have caused me to lose my focus, to stray from the path I know I should follow. I really like the New Living Translation’s version of these verses, because the 6th verse starts with ‘BUT’… David hit’s the brakes on his downward spiral with a sudden ‘BUT!’ In his distress, in his state of hopelessness, David called out to God for help. He prayed, and God heard. He cried, and God listened.

Do we truly understand this? How many times have we wrongly accused God, whether out loud or in our thoughts, of ignoring us? How many times have we assumed that God simply has something better or bigger to do, and therefore has left us hanging? These verses give us no indication of time. They say nothing about how many times David prayed, just that David cried out to God. David reached out and God heard. God hears. God listens. And God responds. And in this case, does he ever respond.

Vs 7-15: A description of God’s power and strength.

7 The earth trembled and quaked,
   and the foundations of the mountains shook;
   they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
   consuming fire came from his mouth,
   burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;
   dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
   he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
   the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
   with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven;
   the voice of the Most High resounded.[d]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
   with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
   and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, LORD,
   at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

God responds to David’s cry. The picture David paints here of God is one that we so rarely seem to focus on in our church circles today. God’s awesome on display! It seems easy for us to focus on God’s patience. It seems quick for us to spend time discussing his meekness, and his humbleness. And while these are all good and true, this passage focuses on a God that is so much more than that. Our God is an awesome God, with wisdom, power and strength! The mountains shook! The earth quaked! Smoke poured from his nostrils, flames leaped from his mouth... God comes to David’s rescue in a thunderous way. There was no mistaking this, God was on a mission. Someone had picked on the wrong child that day.

I’d like to share a storey with you of my childhood. I don’t remember a lot of the details, but when I was young (I think maybe in 3rd or 4th grade) I remember playing baseball in elementary school with the big kids that were a few grades older than me. It was our team’s turn to play field, so I ran out to play base. One of the older kids decided he wanted to play base, so he simply ran over and shoved me off of the base. While I don’t remember all of the details, I do remember that my older brother saw this, ran across the field and fought this other kid. He came to my aid, he risked his safety for my own. How many of you have been in a similar situation? Parents here today could easily relate to this feeling. If your child was being harmed, you probably wouldn’t hesitate to rush in and protect them, to come to their rescue. Not only that, but you would come in with authority.

God comes to us with authority. He sees us in pain, he hears our cry, and he comes to our rescue with authority, scattering our enemies. And God’s authority is awesome. His voice thunders the skies. His breath clears the seas and lays the foundations of the earth bare.

Do you know this God? Do you recognize this God? Do you believe in this God?

How many times have you prayed, but doubted in your hearts? How many times have you cried out to God, but then when you finished that prayer you decided that you’d just try and take care of the problem yourself because God probably wouldn’t do anything? Do you know this God?

God is all powerful, we struggle to get out of bed some days.

God can cause the mountains to shake and the earth to tremble!

God can rain hail and fire!

I ask you again, do you truly know this God?

I think most of us would have to honestly answer that we don’t. We know the God of love. We maybe even know the God of correction. But the awesome protector that would blast the earth aside with his breath just to save us when we cry out him? Not so much. I believe that we stop short of this God. And yet this is the same God! This is the God that we live for, that we praise with our lips during singing. So why do we not truly come to realize his awesome power? Why do we fail to recognize that our pain is his pain, and that if we would just ask and believe, he would come with fire breathing from his mouth to scatter our enemies? Do we think we don’t deserve it? Let’s continue reading this passage, as David quickly changes the feeling of the passage. Suddenly, in verse 16, the storm is subdued, and the clouds part and the earth is still.

Vs 16-29: God Rescues

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
   he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
   from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
   but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
   he rescued me because he delighted in me.

20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
   according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
   I am not guilty of turning from my God.
22 All his laws are before me;
   I have not turned away from his decrees.
23 I have been blameless before him
   and have kept myself from sin.
24 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
   according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
   to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure you show yourself pure,
   but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
27 You save the humble
   but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28 You, LORD, keep my lamp burning;
   my God turns my darkness into light.
29 With your help I can advance against a troop[e];
   with my God I can scale a wall.

God reaches down and rescues David. God supports him, and leads him into protection. God longs to protect us. God longs to save us from our troubles. But at the same time, God wants us to call to him. God wants us to first reach out to him. God wants us to come to that place in our hearts where we realize that it’s not me, it’s you, God!

Of course, God does not always deliver us from our problems swiftly. Some problems we are meant to go through with God as our support. These are things that build us up, make us better and more equipped for His work. We probably all know about the “thorn in Paul’s side” that he so often talked about in the New Testament. We don’t know what that thorn was, but we do know that Paul prayed often for God to remove it, but God chose not to do so. Paul recognized that in his weakness, God was made strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). However, that still doesn’t mean that God doesn’t come with thunderous authority to support us. God does come, God does respond to our cries, and God does listen.

Some people also think that God is a crutch that “weak” people use because they are not strong enough to make it on their own. This line of thinking, in reality, is the actual crutch. This thinking is man’s feable attempt at trying to remove God from the picture. We often see reliance on others as a weakness. Take the typical male for example. People joke that men won’t see out help, won’t ask for directions, won’t read instructions, and the like. And it is so often true. Why? A big reason is that men often see reliance on others as being a sign of weakness. We all know the truth, we all realize that we could never make it through life purely on our own, we need others. We need friends, family, spouses. We need each other. And yet, so many people see that those who need God as being a ‘crutch’. I say this is so far from the truth, we don’t need God as a crutch, we need God as a complete hospital bed! We are entirely and completely at a loss without God. We are not merely leaning on God to give us support for a sprained ankle. We’re completely sunk in his arms asking him to carry us through. And it doesn’t mean that we need to be dealing with some extreme sorrow or pain for us to rely on God this way, either. Whatever your ‘thorn’ is that is in your side, God wants it to cause us to completely trust and rely on him. David states in verse 27 that God will rescue the humble, but humiliate the proud. The humble person is the one willing to crawl onto that hospital bed. The proud person is the one that says he doesn’t even need a crutch!

Vs 30-36: God prepares us for life

30 As for God, his way is perfect:
   The LORD’s word is flawless;
   he shields all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD?
   And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength
   and keeps my way secure.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
   he causes me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle;
   my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You make your saving help my shield,
   and your right hand sustains me;
   your help has made me great.
36 You provide a broad path for my feet,
   so that my ankles do not give way.

God does not promise to eliminate all challenges, but instead He gives us strength to make it through them all. He never leaves us alone to face any challenges, but instead is always beside us teaching, learning and strengthening us. God arms us with strength.

Let’s return to that story of the hospital bed again. It was 2 years ago today that Corrie broke her ankle in a game of soccer. Had she simply said “Doctor’s are just a crutch for weaker people, I’m fine!” and tried walking away, she would’ve collapsed in a heap. Instead, she was taken to the hospital where she laid in a bed for days while they took care of her. They fixed her ankle, put it in a cast, and gave her medicine and food to help get her strength up. When she left, she still couldn’t walk, but with help from those who understood what was necessary, she was on the road to recovery. After a month or so later, she was able to once again walk and now is playing soccer again and enjoying her freedom. What if she had refused treatment? What if she had turned the ambulance away? She would be a hobbling mess still. The ankle would never have healed properly, and it would be causing her pain and suffering still to this day. We read this passage here and we see a God that wants to fix what is broken in our lives. By turning to God, by completely resting in his arms, God makes us strong. He trains us for battle, his right hand supports us, and he gives us a shield for victory.

God doesn’t just rescue us, he trains us. God doesn’t just pull us from the pit, he strengthens us and teaches us so that we can better avoid that pit again next time. Crying out to God isn’t just so that he can come and pull us out so that we can go on living our same life! When we are rescued, we are to be changed! We are to be transformed! The God that poured smoke from his nostrils as he came thundering out of heaven wants to teach us, he wants to strengthen us!

I honestly believe that many areas in my life that I feel God has left me alone or ignored me is simply because he knows that the only reason I’m calling on him is for a quick rescue mission. God, pull me out of this pit and then leave me alone! Have you ever been guilty of treating God like a genie in a bottle? Please, Lord, just grant me these three wishes and then I’ll leave you alone, if you leave me alone. That couldn’t be any further from what God truly wants from us! God desires us to grow. God desires us to become stronger. God wants us to repair us, and then get us right back out into the battle stronger than ever. But He can’t do that if all we want is the quick repair.

Vs 37-45: The counter attack

37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
   I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so that they could not rise;
   they fell beneath my feet.
39 You armed me with strength for battle;
   you humbled my adversaries before me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
   and I destroyed my foes.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
   to the LORD, but he did not answer.
42 I beat them as fine as windblown dust;
   I trampled them[f] like mud in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
   you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
44 foreigners cower before me;
   as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
45 They all lose heart;
   they come trembling from their strongholds.

Here David describes what I see as a counter attack. He opened with hopelessness and a cry to God. We witnessed God’s awesome power and his unsurpassed protection. We then saw God training and strengthening the fallen David. And now we see David’s counter attack.

David describes a great victory. He crushes his enemies. He pushes them back. David becomes a feared man, a man to avoid, a man to leave alone and not one to mess with any longer. You see, in my story earlier where my brother came to my rescue, what did I learn from that? I learned that my brother would stick up for me when I was in danger. That was a great thing! But if I were to spend my life waiting for my brother to bail me out during every difficulty, I think we can all imagine what an annoying person I would be! God on the other hand trained David, strengthened him and then supported him. With God at his side, David conquered his enemy. With God, David achieved victory!

And so can we. God wants us to rely on him. God wants us to believe in him. Believe in his awesome power. Believe that he can and will rescue us from our pits of despair. But understand that he will not stop there. God will transform our hearts. God wants to change our spirits. He wants to strengthen us, so we can turn around and defeat the very enemy that had us running with our tails between our legs. God wants us to achieve victory.

Vs 46-50: Praise be to God!

46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
   Exalted be God my Savior!
47 He is the God who avenges me,
   who subdues nations under me,
48 who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
   from a violent man you rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;
   I will sing the praises of your name.

50 He gives his king great victories;
   he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
   to David and to his descendants forever.

Finally, David concludes with praise to God. He lifts God’s name, He recognizes that his victory was because of God’s intervention. He does not take any credit for his victory, but instead directs all glory to God.

This is such an easily overlooked step! When Jesus was on this earth, he healed 10 men of leprosy, but only one turned back to thank him. Why? Because when the chips are down, and when all hope is lost, we find it easy to turn to God. But when God rescues us and helps us defeat our enemy, it is so easy to suddenly forget and to run off ahead.

David doesn’t forget. David knows full well what happened, and he gives the glory to God.

Have you forgotten God? Have you enjoyed his rescue, his healing, and his training only to forget him after the victory? All praise and honour to God!