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Looking Back (Psalm 18:2)
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“When your children ask in times to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ Then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So, these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” Joshua 4:6b-7[/perfectpullquote]God commanded Joshua to set up a memorial to remember the work He had done among His people. Why? I believe because God is all too aware of our tendency to forget, or to take credit for His work, and the negative impact that that can have on our lives. This is something David understood his entire life.
In 1 Samuel 17 when preparing to face Goliath, David says: “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
David understood that it was the Lord who was fighting for him. This is something Saul never quite seemed to grasp. Saul relied on his own power which led to fear and insecurities and ultimately his demise. David relied on the power of God for victory in tough situations. Because he remembered that, David would take time to “Inquire of the Lord’ and this led to victories in difficult situations and is why David is described as “A Man After God’s Own heart”. David was not perfect. He did some pretty terrible things; however,
throughout it all David was able to maintain proper perspective which was something Saul never quite grasped. When David would get sidetracked by sin he would repent and return to God. 1 David allowed the consequences of his disobedience to remind him that God was the one he should be seeking to please, that God is where his strength came from, and that God was in fact establishing his steps. Regardless of how far he strayed David had an anchor that allowed him not to drift too far from God. This anchor served as a memorial to David of what God had done and reminded him to get back on track with God.
This is illustrated beautifully by David singing this song after his deliverance from his enemies and from Saul:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Psalm 18:2
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.[/perfectpullquote]
Do you have something in your life can serve as a memorial to God’s power? What can you use to help anchor you to the truth that God has the power you need for victory in all situations, and it is only through him that you will succeed? Without that memorial it is easy for us to be overwhelmed by anxiety, fear, and doubt. But when we are able to look back on our lives and remember the times when God showed up, remember the promises he has made to us, remember that it is only through him that we will find victory. Then we can have a peace and hope and confidence that “Surpasses all understanding”
– Adam Deering
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