Daily!

Daily!

“Blessed be the Lord, Who bears our burdens and carries us day by day, even the God Who is our salvation! Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!” Psalm 68:19 AMPC

“Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.” Psalm 68:19 KJV

The title to this psalm simply says: 'Of David'. 'A psalm'. 'A Song'. We are not given context or a situation leading to this song but as you read the chapter, you get the sense that David was either close to the kingship or already in it. There are words describing the authority and splendour of a king which could only come from personal experience. David had brothers who were serving in the army of the king at the time, and he had also been exposed to the war machine of Israel. The one thing that is clear from the entire chapter from where the verse above is taken is that it is only God that can guarantee victory. Man can prepare as best as he can, and it is all fine until Goliath steps out. 

It is God who gives victory. As you read the stories of war in the bible, it is clear that good preparation is ideal, but divine backing is even more important. You can have the best war strategy, but if God arises against you, be sure that your great plans will be scattered and come to nothing. As the first few verses of the chapter from where the verse above is taken makes clear, when God is on your side, foes flee and the wicked perish. The righteous on the other hand are glad and they rejoice before God. It really does matter on whose side I am on, and who is backing me up. I dare not try to go to war without the right support behind and around me.

It is these experiences that strengthen my faith in God, making me certain that He has my best interests at heart, as long as I hold on to Him. Daivd will know what this means. The fight wth Goliath was over before it actually started, because David came in the name and strength of the Lord. The encounter of Gideon with the Midianites was over before they met because God was involved in planning and execution. The confrontation of Judah with the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites was already over before the choir led the people out, because God was directing to affairs. Before you seek to launch out, be sure that God is on your side and He is the sole director of all you do.

That is how the verse above makes sense. God does not deny me the use of my brain to plan or prepare, but I must ensure that I plan with Him. He is the One who bears our burdens. I am careful to note that it does not say He takes away all the burdens. How do I learn to stay focused on God if there were no hard days? How do I learn to stay focused on God if there were no 'legitimate distractions'? It has to be a daily experience. It cannot be this occasional experience. The work of God in a man's life leads to a testimony by others. Do I have stories of grace, help and support that can be a blessing to other people? As the verse above ends, take time to reflect on this. God's time of favour is here.