Psalm 54 "God, save me by your power. Set me free by your might. God, hear my prayer. Listen to what I’m saying. Strangers are attacking me. Mean people are trying to kill me. They don’t care about God. But I know that God helps me. The Lord is the one who keeps me going. My enemies tell lies about me. Do to them the evil things they planned against me. God, be faithful and destroy them. I will sacrifice an offering to you just because I choose to. Lord, I will praise your name because it is good. You have saved me from all of my troubles. With my own eyes I have seen you win the battle over my enemies."
Okay, so I'm straying from my usually NIV to the NIV Reader's Version. In writing about the 'sacrifice of praise', this translation goes just a little deeper into what was trying to be conveyed.
This was written at the time when Saul was after David to kill him. He was 'in hiding', but the peoples he was hiding with decided to tell Saul. David launched into this prayer. He asked God to vindicate him, I believe, for two reasons: 1) He had faith that God could and would rescue him, because God had never failed him; and, 2) He would not fight Saul, because Saul was King and therefore, anointed by God. He would not touch God's anointed (1 Samuel 24). He didn't hide because he was afraid. David, afraid? The one who had slain so many people - Goliath being one of them - lions and bears, etc. No, I can't believe he was afraid. He feared God - respected His judgement and revered His ways.
In all of this - the trouble surrounding him, he DECIDED to offer a sacrifice. He CHOSE to praise the Lord because the Lord was GOOD. He knew His God - so He knew He was faithful to do what He had promised to do. He had faith in God's protection and love for him - and He loved God.
As the years prior had seen witness, God had never failed him. He had probably failed God here and there - but he had seen the hand of God protecting him and giving Him victory over his (and the Lord's enemies - those whom the Lord knew in no way would ever bow down to His Lordship).
Whatever we are going through right now, God will help us... we only need to ask. He has never failed us. We may have been or are in some pretty tight places where we feel a little stuck, or may we're in a bondage of our own making or someone else's. Whatever it may be - I'm sure we can think back to a time when He did make good of His Word and came to rescue us. He will do so again. We only need to reach out to Him... in faith that He will come - that He is here and praise Him regardless of our circumstances, because He is worthy to be praised... not just in the good times, but in the tough times also. He is always God.
Break Every Chain
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