This God!

This God! 

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. Psalm 18:2 KJV

The Context and Charge:

The introduction to this psalm gives the background to the words of David here. God had delivered David from the hands of his enemies, including the then king Saul. God does the amazing and the miraculous every day, but sometimes, due to the frequent and repetitive nature of these events, we take them for granted. How many of us are conscious enough to thank God that we woke up this morning, still clothed in our right minds? Do we just assume it is a right? I learn this from David: my life must be a daily and constant appreciation of God's grace. 

I note that these words were written to celebrate God's deliverance but the book of psalms gives us an insight into the heart of David. He was not a man who would only sing when all was well, but also when things were tough. In fact, it is the tough times that define where I stand with God. I must not be a fair - weather friend, only there when the going is smooth. God is always present and available, no matter the season of my life, and I must relate with Him with that understanding. Can God count on me at all times, or am I there for what I can get out of Him?

The Contention and Conclusion:

It showed here that David knew and related with this God on a personal level. Check out how many times I and MY are used in this one verse: 9 times. That is personal. Whatever other people's view of God is, no matter how lovely it sounds, I must have mine. It is the personal that drives the public. Testimonies of other people are good, as they help me seek God for my own. I do not want to live solely on what other people say; I want to be able to speak of my own experience of God's grace, mercy and favour. 

None of the words used to describe this God can be explained without a story. Can you call anyone your rock or fortress if you have not been kept from trouble or danger? Can you fully explain God's strength if you have not first experienced weakness and had to depend solely on God? Can you call God your high tower if you have not found him to be a safe place to run into for protection? There will be times when I do wrong, and should be punished, but where will anyone of us be without God's mercy? This is the power of personal experience. God is all that David listed out here, and much more. 

All the men and women in the Bible had their personal experience of this God. I need to make my own, so I can, like David, list all the amazing things God is to me, and the awesome things He does. My life must draw attention to, and be a daily testimony of God's grace. This is my own story about this God. What's yours? God's time of favour is here.