My Strengthening God

What a declaration this is! For several weeks now, I have been working my way through the psalms, starting from Psalm 1. In many of these psalms, David is crying out in distress: “God, Save me! I’m in trouble! People are attacking me! My enemies are pursuing me!” In others, David is desperate. He knows he has done deep wrong and he doesn’t know how to put it right. He spills it all out to God, asking God to cleanse him and forgive his wrongdoing. He goes through deep shame, terrible shame for his adultery with Bathsheba. We can follow the process through, as he knows that God has truly and deeply forgiven him and released him from the darkness of that appalling series of events.

Some of these early psalms are full of joy. Others end in joy, after David has worked his way through the horrors of what he is enduring- like being hunted and pursued by King Saul and his troops in the desert, high and low, running for his life. This man is real. Now, still only part-way through my readings, I’m thinking that David doesn’t cover up his highs and his lows. This is real, desperate and, above all, emotional stuff. And, what’s more, we realise that God also is real. God is emotional. God is real and God is there.

It’s against this background that I have found myself so impacted by these verses above: ‘Through it all, God, through all I’ve done, You are right here with me; You have a safe gentle grip on my hand of action. I know I am safe. And You actually offer me your holy wisdom. You lead my hand and you personally guide me into a good way to go. God, You are all I have and need. You will hang on to me through thick and thin. You will be with me safely, right to the end, and bring me to Your glory. My nerve might fail, my body might fail, but You strengthen something deep within me and I know that, with You, I have everything I could ever want, for ever. You are sufficient.’ (my paraphrase)

Prayer: Father God, thank You that I can be real with You. You can take all my rubbish and mess and I can know the freedom of Your forgiveness for me. I can know You guiding every step I take, holding me safely. I can know You strengthening me deep inside and know that You are with me every moment of my life and into eternity. I welcome Your Presence upon me today. Amen.