I was doing my devotions last Friday morning, reading through the last five verses in Romans 8, when after reading the Matthew Henry commentary alongside it, there was a reference for a verse in Psalm 44. It was then I decided to read the entire Psalm at a later point in the morning.
When I did, these first eight verses blew me away. I pray that they will touch your heart today, just like they did mine. :) 1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. 2 How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. 3 For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them. 4 Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob. 5 Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. 6 For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. 7 But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us. 8 In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah. Now I have a question for you. What stood out to you in these verses? I'm not completely sure who penned this Psalm but what hit me when I read it was how the writer gave the credit for their blessings (their land and the victories in battle) to God. It was through His right hand, His arm, and the light of His countenance. It was/is through Him we can push down our enemies, through Him that we can tread over those who rise up against us. Verse 6 was especially powerful and challenging to me. What soldier or warrior doesn't trust in their weapons in times of warfare? Being the proud humans that we are, we tend to cling to our man-made weapons and to take it upon ourselves to fight our own battles and to trust in the fallible, destructible weapons that come nowhere close to saving us. Here, the psalmist admits he doesn't trust in his bow or his sword. Instead, his boast is in God. All. Day. Long. The psalmist looked back and saw the past victories the Lord had given them, saving them from their enemies and putting to shame those who hated God's people. Doesn't that just do something to your heart? It gives us a shift in our mentality, a changing of perspectives. Don't trust in your weak weapons, as helpful as they might be for battles here on earth. Trust in the One who delivered you from previous battles and who has fought the ultimate battle over Death, and claimed the victory for all eternity.
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AuthorHi! I'm Carolyn, a writer seeking to glorify God with my words. Archives
February 2024
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