Today’s Reading:
Psalm 144 (vv. 7, 11-14)
“Blessed be the Lord of my Rock (my Strength), Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle – 2) My loving-kindness (my goodness), and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer, My shield and the One in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me. 3) Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him? 4) Man is like a breath (vanity); His days are like a passing shadow. 5) Bow down Your heavens, O Lord, and come down; Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. 6) Flash forth lightning and scatter them; Shoot out Your arrows and destroy them. 7) Stretch out Your hand from above; Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, From the hand of foreigners (strange children), 8) Whose mouth speaks lying words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 9) I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You, 10) The One who gives salvation to kings, who delivers David His servant From the deadly sword. 11) Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, Whose mouth speaks lying words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood- 12) That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, Sculptured in place style; That our barns may be full, Supplying all kinds of produce; That our sheep may bring forth thousands And ten thousand in our fields; 14) That our oxen may be well laden; That there be no breaking in or going out; That there be no outcry in our streets. 15) Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!”
(Ps. 144 [vv. 7, 11, 12-14] NKJV, Reversed & Updated 3rd Version)
Let me use this medium to commiserate with our brothers and sisters all over the world, especially in our nation, Nigeria, as we are at this period going through severe bereavement, hardship, displacement, oppression, persecution, from the hands of the ‘mighty and the terrible’, the proud, the arrogant and ‘strange children (Isa. 49:24-26; vv. 7-11). The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall surely perish from under the heaven; only God of heaven lives forever and ever (Jer. 10:11-12). He does whatever pleases Him with us, He has created us for His pleasure (Rev. 4:11). There is the assurance that God loves us, and at the end of all these, we will have cause to glorify His name. The blood of the innocent beings maimed, brutally massacred, the heroes that are falling shall not be in vain, in Jesus name.
This psalm, whose authorship is ascribed to David, is rejoicing in God’s deliverance and care at all times, whether in the time of persecution, oppression, before or after the war, in times of adversity or in times of prosperity. The author praised God for giving victory in past battles and is asking for victory in the military encounter with the enemy he was facing. He was confident that like before, God would save His people.
Blessed are those whose God of heaven is their God, who can confidently call upon HIS name. This is the situation our nation and other God-fearing nations of the world are facing today, in the hand of ‘foreigners’ (v. 7b). We should be appreciative that God in time past has trained his children as skilled fighters and He granted victories (1Sam. 17). This psalm of descriptive praise is overtone and over ladened with lament and prayer of petition. Several synonyms have been used to describe God as protector and deliverer. The story of the Israelites in the wilderness readily comes to mind as an example of God teaching his children to shoot bows.
God’s exalted position (vv. 1-2) led David to reflect with amazement at God’s interest in ‘mere mortal’. Our existence here on earth compared with God who abides forever is short (vv. 3-4). And God is mindful of us.
In the past, God has used nature to intervene in situations like these - He has used rain, thunder, lightning, and hailstones for the victory of his people (Josh. 10; Judges 4-5). Let us too view the enemy’s soldier, threats, boasting, and arrogance as an overwhelming flood from which God is able to deliver us. And therefore, believing he will deliver, rescue us, begin to praise Him with songs of victory and let us begin to picture four things that would happen when God gives us victory over our enemies if Jesus tarries:
We would have our liberty of body soul and spirit; we would be able to serve God without fear (Luke 1:74-75).
We would possess our heritage, and our youth will continue to grow and flourish like trees planted by the river (v. 12)
Prosperity will characterize our national life (vv. 13-14a); and
In peace and prosperity, the destiny of our nation shall be fulfilled, in Jesus name.
OLUFUNMILAYO TITILOLA ADEKUSIBE
Prayer:
Thank You Father for the power and authority, victory in the name of Jesus, and the blood of Jesus.
Father, thank you for you are the one teaching our hands to war and our fingers to battle to the glory of your Holy name, in Jesus name.
Thank you for giving us Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
O God, grant me the power to be focused, in Jesus name.
O God arise and make the unlawful captives in the cage of the enemies of this nation, be too hot for the enemy to handle, in Jesus name.
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