Thoughts for the Day

Triumphant Song of Confidence. Of David.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
they shall stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.

One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.

Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord......

Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

We don't know what the circumstances were that called King David to write these words, but from experience he knows that God has got his back and he encourages us to turn to God when life is difficult, waiting with humility for Him to answer. Then we too will want to sing a triumphant song of confident praise to God.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a Baptist preacher in the 19th century, and we have looked at his life and work before. He has been called the 'Prince of Preachers'. In writing about waiting on the Lord, he said the following:

• "Wait at His door with prayer;
  wait at His foot with humility;
  wait at His table with service;
  wait at His window with expectancy."

We see that for him, as for King David, waiting on the Lord is not a passive thing where we hang around looking pathetic and hoping He will do something to sort out our problem. When we seek our Lord Jesus Christ's help, that is, when we actively seek His help, He meets us halfway and strengthens us, so that we too can respond to God with a triumphant song of confidence.

Lord God,
when problems challenge us,
and we feel lonely and lost,
give us the confidence to seek You out,
and turn to You in prayer,
in worship,
and in humble service.
May we learn to trust You
with all the things that trouble us,
so that we can sing a song of confidence
knowing that You have already heard us,
and will be a part of the solution.
Amen.