Verse of the Day
David was anointed, by Samuel, to be Israel’s king while still a youth. We meet the young man tending his father’s flocks on the hills of Bethlehem. It was not until he was 30 years of age, that this son of Jesse was enthroned by his people and crowned as their king.
Saul was set aside as Israel’s king because he did not keep all that the Lord commanded him to do, and during his years in waiting, David was fiercely and unjustifiable pursued by king Saul, who was filled with hostile jealousy against his rival because God had favoured David in his place.
On many occasions, the resentful king sought to take the young man’s life and in this psalm, we find David once more fleeing from his enemy, and crying out to the Lord to save him, to vindicate him, to hear his prayer, and to rescue him from the violent men who sought to take his life.
Perhaps the verse that encapsulates the essence of this psalm is verse 4, where we read: “Behold, God is my Helper. The Lord is the Sustainer of my soul.” While the opening verses are a cry for help and the concluding ones confirm his future deliverance, this middle stanza is David’s statement of faith: “Behold, God is my Helper. The Lord is the Sustainer of my soul.”
The Lord understands the hearts of men and reads their minds. And God found in David a man after His own heart; a man whose faith was credited to him as righteousness, because he trusted in Him. As we trace the life of this man from the hills of Bethlehem to the end of his life, we see his faith in God develop and grow.
From the time he faced Goliath as a lad, to the day he ‘slept with his fathers and was buried in Jerusalem’, we trace David’s faith developing, growing, and maturing into a man who died knowing that God is faithful to keep His Word. He trusted God to keep His promises. He believed the Lord would build for him a house and a kingdom that would endure forever, and that the throne of David would be established eternally.
Without faith it is impossible to please God and this short, simple psalm is a beautiful example of a man who demonstrates a growing faith in God. He does not rely on his own strength and innate abilities, but places his trust in the Lord and is confident that God’s Word would come to pass. He maintains his conviction that God’s Word is sure and has the assurance that God’s promise of things to come would assuredly take place, when he cries out, “Behold, God IS my Helper. The Lord IS the Sustainer of my soul.”
The trusting faith David expressed in this Psalm is an example of the secure faith we all desire to develop in our Christian walk. However, it is not easy to be encompassed about by difficulties and dangers and still to stand firm on the promises of God. It can be a great challenge to be hotly pursued by violent men who seek our downfall and be able to declare in confident trust: “Behold, God is my Helper. The Lord is the Sustainer of my soul.” But this is the faith that pleases God.
It is easier to remind others who are facing great trials in their lives, of their need to trust in the Lord in the challenging circumstance they face or when confronted with their own personal problems! But how much more difficult it is to translate that secure faith into our own unsettled heart?
Let us set our heart to trust in the Lord no matter what problems arise and stand firm on His promises. His past faithfulness proves His continued constancy and never-failing fidelity. He has proved Himself to be our faithful God, the anchor of our Soul, our never failing Helper, and the Sustainer of our soul.
My Prayer
Heavenly Father, I praise and thank You for Your Word and the encouragement it gives. Thank You for the lessons I can learn from David, who trusted Your Word and stood firm on Your promises, even when being hotly pursued by evil violent men who sought to destroy him. I praise You that You are my God, my Helper, and the Sustainer of my soul. Keep me from allowing the stresses and strains of life to cause me to doubt Your Word, and keep my feet in the path of righteousness, for His name’s sake, AMEN.
