I love you, Lord, my strength. 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. I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. 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. The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him— the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them. 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. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I am not guilty of turning from my God.

David was a young shepherd boy who trusted God to slay a lion and a bear. He was small in stature. He was big in heart. And he was anointed king to succeed Saul, by Samuel, a priest of God.

Saul initially liked David. David played his harp to soothe Saul's spirit. David slayed Goliath and led Saul’s armies. He also became best friends with Saul’s son, Jonathan.

But then Saul became intensely jealous of David and tried to kill him with his spear. David had to flee his position, his friends, and his family. Saul hunted him down mercilessly, with the king’s armies. Though David had done nothing wrong, he was hunted like a murderer.

Two times David had Saul in his hands and could have killed him, but he held back because he was God’s anointed king. David honored God more than he did his own life. He did this because of his love for God and his faith in God. He knew that the God he trusted would be faithful to see him through and make all things right in the end.

I’m sure there were days when David questioned: “Why?” He was likely perfectly happy being a shepherd. Why did God anoint him King, only to pull back the strings and have him be on the run, in fear of his life every day. Why did Saul, after David gave so much to him, try to kill him? And why did David have to leave his best friend, Jonathan, and the rest of his family?

The days and nights on the run were at times, lonely, stressful, and made it hard to wake up the next day. But God was faithful to send David people who would fight with him. There were so many that flocked to David because of the oppression of King Saul. And some of these men stood out for their ability to fight and be loyal to David. They were called David’s Mighty Men.

I am so thankful for the mighty men God sent my way in my challenging times.They locked arms with me, and fought my battles alongside me. They encouraged me, supported me, and fueled my fire.

And so, when I read this Psalm, I recognize that when David spoke these words, he was thinking of specific times in his life where God rescued him, came through, protected him, and provided for him.

With this perspective on David and his life, let’s reread this Psalm again.

God is my strength, 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. Praise the Lord! Praise him in his mighty temple. Praise him for his great works. Praise him all day long.

God comes to the aid of his faithful people. He strikes his enemies down and he restores my stature and position in his time. When I wonder why I have to go through the trials, I can trust in God. And I can pity those who stand up against him; for I know his massive power and his massive heart to protect his people and avenge them.

Lord, thank you for being my refuge and my strength! You have proven yourself to me time and time again. You are worthy of my complete trust and obedience. Lead on, Lord Jesus, lead on.