The team of assassins was mere seconds behind him as he desperately fled for his life. He felt the cords of death entangling him, and his imminent doom overwhelmed him like a crushing wave. He saw the whites of their eyes and his pounding heart was about to explode in his chest. He cried out to Almighty God, “Help me!”
Seemingly out of nowhere, a majestic silhouette split the sky, mounted on wings of angels. Shots like bolts of lightning obliterated the team of executioners as the glowing figure snatched him up and carried him to safety.
This probably reads like a scene from a paperback action novel, but it’s actually the account in Psalm 18 of David being miraculously rescued by God (some artistic license taken (^_^)). David describes for us this dramatic event when King Saul was hunting him down with a battalion of soldiers, trying to kill him. Please read the full account in Psalm 18; it IS truly amazing. He also recounts the incredible strength the Lord gave him in the midst of his dire circumstances. He says, “He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”(Psalm 18:33-34 NIV)
I doubt that many of us have someone hunting us down to try to kill us, nor do we sense any need to be able to bend bows of bronze; I know I don’t. But still, I sense the Lord telling us through King David’s account that His promises and provision of strength, protection, and victory in battle are what we need even today, in what might seem paltry and mundane. We all have victories that need to be won, don’t we? Even if they’re not the stuff that would ever make it into paperback novels. For me, they could be filling out reports, taking care of paperwork, and clearing off unsorted piles on my desk. Those are the things that cause me to cry out to Almighty God, “Help me!” Well, maybe not “cry out.” And we all have areas where we are most easily tempted or provoked to sin, and for those we certainly need God’s strength, protection, and victory. As I reread the drama of Psalm 18, I realize that whether there is drama or not, the Lord fully understands my circumstances and wants me to have victory. Even if those victories are unimpressive to anyone else, or totally unrecognized by anyone else, to my loving Lord, they are significant.
May you see the Lord split the sky, mounted on wings of angels to obliterate the foxes in your vineyard- the viruses that crash the operating system which is your life. And may you see strength and power from Him for victories, whether recognized by anyone else or not.