If you were ever in doubt that God has got it covered when it comes to the enemies of your life then you need to take time to read it. It says who God is-a rock, a fortress, a deliverer, a stronghold, a refuge and a savior-and is very descriptive when it tells us just what he is willing to do on our behalf if we choose to allow him to deal with it. Be sure to read this with the most dramatic voice you can muster.
“In my distress I called to the LORD;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
8 The earth trembled and quaked,
the foundations of the heavens shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
9smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
bolts of lightning blazed forth.
14 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke of the LORD,
at the blast of breath from his nostrils.
What a picture. Have you ever imagined such power is being exerted toward those things that are laying havoc in your life. Many times we picture people as our enemies but the truth is it sin that wages war with our spirits and our lives. Look at how God responds when call out for help against that which hurts us the most. He is on it with both barrels seeking to annihilate our opposition. It is explosive and powerful and the best part is He wins!
Then-
17 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
20 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
Did you see that? The reason he confronted the enemy? Out of delight for me. Wow. That brings tears to my eyes.
Some synonyms to delighted are blissful, glad, gratified, happy, joyful, pleased, tickled and satisfied. Tickled is what I feel each time I see my grandchildren learn a new skill or grasp a lesson that will help them in life. It IS very satisfying wouldn't you say?
I think the key here is, what we decide to do when we are overwhelmed with sin. Do we ignore the battle raging around us? Do we hide the sin for fear the Lord will be displeased, sweeping it under the rug or making excuses? Or do we say, “In my distress I called to the LORD?"[vs. 4] Is that what delights him? Our call for help? Verse 28 holds the answer. "You [God] save the humble." Yes, our acknowledgement of his power to rescue us gets his attention and his favor.
And trusting him with our lives is an act of righteous. We see evidence of this in the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans-
"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed ... Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." Romans 4:18-24
Again with the "Wow, did you see that?"
"The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness" for our belief in him. [vs. 24] If your still not convinced, Hebrews 11 has a long list of flawed people who had much in their lives to be ashamed of yet they were seen by God as righteous because they chose to put their faith-trust-belief in him.
The rest of the song tells of God's actions toward the righteous. My favorite part-"He sets me free from my enemies." If you are struggling against the enemy of sin today perhaps its time to call on the Lord who will "soar on the wings of the wind" with smoke raising from his nostrils shooting his arrows and scattering your oppressor. Choose to let God rescue you from the thing you seem so powerless against. Trust the Lord. He gives great victories.
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