THE SET UP: David was the second king of Israel and the bible describes him as, “a man after God’s own heart.” When you read David’s story, one thing that sticks out is how much David trusts God in some pretty horrible situations. For instance, when Saul was the first king of Israel and David was serving him, Saul became jealous of David and tried several times to kill him. David was forced to flee out into the desert and mountains and run for his life. During that time, there were at least two different times where David had Saul lined up in his sights and could have taken him out and become the king. But both times David resisted. He believed that if God wanted him to become king it would happen, but he wasn’t willing to eliminate the current kind to make it happen. Later, when David was the king, his own son Absalom led a coup to take the throne away from David and led an army to hunt David down. Again, David wanted Absalom spared and wept and mourned for him when he was killed in battle. In these hard situations and others, David believed that God would deliver him. 2 Samuel 22 is called, “David’s Song of Praise,” that he sang when he was victorious over all of his enemies. Some of it reminds me of the words of St. Patrick.
THE SCRIPTURE: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; 3 my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. 4 I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.
“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. 18 He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. 19 They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me. 20 He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me. - 2 Samuel 22:2-4, 17-20
David had confidence in hard times because he believed that God was his ROCK, his FORTRESS, and his SAVIOR. That when he was at his lowest, God picked him up and placed him on solid ground. This morning when I read that, I put myself in David’s shoes and I thanked God that we was MY Rock, MY Fortress, and MY Savior. God is not just great because of what He did in David’s life, God is great because of how He is at work in MY life. God is our hope and our deliverer. Whatever breakthrough you are praying for today, God is YOUR Rock, YOUR Fortress, and YOUR Savior! During this season of Lent, we are reminding ourselves of our dependence on him.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- How have you seen God be your rock, your fortress, or your savior in the past? Have you had a “no way out” moment where God was your only hope?
- What is your prayer during this Lenten season? What are you believing God for?
- How has Lent caused your faith to grow so far?
PRAYER FOCUS: Give God thanks for being YOUR Rock, YOUR Fortress, and YOUR Savior. Tell Him what you are believing for Him to breakthrough on your behalf or on behalf of our church or city.