David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. ² He said: 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. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—  from violent people you save me. 2 Samuel 22:1

In my read through the Bible I am now in 2 Samuel. At this point, David has been through so much. He’s had victories, failures, dissappointments, times of abundance and times of loss. However, in chapter 22, it seems that he takes a break from his summary of battles and struggles, to have a total praise session for God. I was jolted by the first six words- “Then, David spoke to the Lord.”

Isn’t that so precious? David sings a song to God that details what God provided for Him, which is also just what he needed. I love this! He needed…and God provided…

Verse 1…to be delivered from enemies

Verse 2…a strong place to stand, a fortress, someone to trust

Verse 3…God’s unfailing strength, a shield of protection, salvation, a stronghold, a safe place

Verse 4…rescue from enemies by the only One who is worthy

Verse 5-7…rescue from waves of death, floods of ungodliness, sorrows of sheol, freedom from distress, and to be heard by God’s own ears!

Look at all God did! It really is “music” to God’s ears when we praise Him. Do WE sometimes stop what we are doing and detail all God has done for us? Do we fully get that God is the ONLY ONE worthy to do what He does?

Self-reflection: Looking at David’s list, can you make your own list of what God has specifically provided for you? In your worst sorrows or dangers, how did God deliver you? How does it make you feel to know that God not only loves you, but your prayers and thoughts are heard by His own ears?

God loves us, hears us and will answer us. And…He is able to do anything we ask and more. That is cause for rejoicing!

With love from the Father to you, have a great day!

Tina

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God. Ecclesiastes 5:4-7

It’s a poem day! I felt inspired to jot down these words in response to our pastor’s sermon about fearing God, as in respecting God and taking our commitment to Him seriously. I took it to heart…because Jesus took US to heart!

Another influencer of this poem is a study of the book of Amos in my Sunday morning class. It has impressed me how easy it is to take for granted what God has done for us. He deserves all respect and praise! Will we continually give it to Him? Will we honor our commitment to Him because we fear and respect and appreciate HIm?

Will We?

God planned a way, our souls to save. He vowed it from the start

To sacrifice His only Son to clean our sinful hearts

In order for His plan to work, obedience was due

The Lord and Son gave up His life to rescue me and you

He could have come down from the cross, to live without the pain

Instead He let Himself be used, to give all for our gain

What’s our commitment to the Lord? What promise we will make?

Do we avow all praise to Him for our souls needy sake?

And will we every day, anew, desire to serve Him well?

Appreciate the cleansing that we got from Mercy’s well?

Will we chase His will for us or strike out on our own?

Will we fear Him, King of Kings, our Savior on the throne?

Confident we tend to be of all that we’ve achieved

But only God deserves that praise. We must not be deceived.

A question lurks. An answer’s due, to keep us in the Way.

Will we submit our selfish will for fear of Him each day?

Will We?

God is so good, y’all! I am “preaching to myself” in this poem and praising God at the same time. He deserves the very best commitment I/we can give, which means we fear Him, desire Him more each day. Taking Him for granted at times is human. We like to think we are in control, but God allows what He allows for His purposes. We serve a great God!

With love from the Father to you, have a great day! He loves you so much!

Tina