THE GIFT OF HIS COVERING

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In Christ, Mark

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You give me Your shield of victory; You stoop down to make me great.

You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not turn.

I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

I crushed them completely and they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet.

You armed me with strength for battle; You made my adversaries bow at my feet.

You made my enemies turn their backs in flight and I destroyed my foes. They cried for help but there was no one to save them — to the Lord, but He did not answer. I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets.

You have delivered me from the attacks of my people; You have preserved me as the head of nations. People I did not know are subject to me and foreigners come cringing to me; as soon as they hear me, they obey me. They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.

2 Samuel 22:36-46

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

“An Air Force Tech Sgt. died after falling to the field during a fast-rope rappelling demonstration prior to a college football game.”

“A 4-year-old boy in Arizona died after being accidentally struck by his family's SUV in the driveway.”

“At least 10 children were killed and more than two dozen others injured when a private school roof collapsed in northwestern Pakistan.”

“Seven children, an adult, and a dog have all been displaced following a fire on Saturday morning.”

These recent headlines underscore the kind of perils that exist all around us. Indeed, we never can know when and how tragedy might strike and this truth could leave anyone paranoid, anxious, or afraid if it wasn’t for one important fact…

For the Lord God Almighty places the gift of His covering over those who trust and obey Him.

As we see in today’s passage, King David surely knew this first-hand in his life and rather than keeping it a secret, we find him testifying about it in the following verses from 2 Samuel, chapter 22:

You give me Your shield of victory; You stoop down to make me great.

You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not turn.

I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

I crushed them completely and they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet.

You armed me with strength for battle; You made my adversaries bow at my feet.

You made my enemies turn their backs in flight and I destroyed my foes. They cried for help but there was no one to save them — to the Lord, but He did not answer. I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets.

You have delivered me from the attacks of my people; You have preserved me as the head of nations. People I did not know are subject to me and foreigners come cringing to me; as soon as they hear me, they obey me. They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds. Vv.36-46

Within this passage, note that as David reflected on every hazard he had survived, he gave credit where credit was due…to the Lord.

For it was God that provided David with his shield of victory, offering protection from attack while leading him to greatness.

The Lord also ensured David traveled safely on a broadened path…symbolizing the safe path we all can travel when we are walk alongside Him. While on that path, David found he was on solid ground as he crushed and destroyed his enemies. We too will stand firm, no matter our adversity, when we trust God ourselves.

It was God who also armed David with strength for battle. David’s confession of this showed his humility and an understanding that it wasn’t by his own hands that he was victorious. His successful conquests were made possible by his Lord.

Finally, it was the Lord who delivered David in times of conflict so to preserve his position as the anointed ruler and king of all Israel.

So given all this…some questions:

What are you up against in life today?

Are you facing any kind of troubles?

Do you have enemies who wish to harm physically, mentally, or verbally?

If none of these apply now, perhaps you can remember a time when they did for life can ebb and flow for us, moving us from good to bad times seemingly at will. The bad times can sometimes put us in the crosshairs of peril, just as they did David but thankfully we have an all powerful and loving Lord we can turn to…a Lord who is our great Protector and Defender from harm. By placing our full faith and trust in Him to deliver us from adversity and adversaries, we can dispel worry, fear, stress, and anxiety because He is with us and for us. As the Apostle Paul asks, “Who then can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

Friends, today and every day after, let us always give thanks to the Lord for the gift of His covering.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.