Resting In Dark Caves

Psalm 18:1-3 A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

"I will call upon the Lord" is without a doubt one of my favorite Christian songs. One of the best ever to sing at the beginning a church meeting, and also to help get your mind focused on the Lord and His word. Have you ever meditated on this Psalm? As true with all scripture, this verse is inspired and for me, it brings my faith to life. I picture David, hiding in a cave from the hundreds of soldiers who are searching for him, wanting to capture or to kill him. His only hope is in the Lord. He has come to the end of his personal resources and cannot save himself. Only the Creator can save him. When you think about it, this is similar to where Jesus stood also, when he went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. Have enemies surrounded you as well? They certainly have surrounded me. The names and faces have changed, but they are the same enemies, controlled by the forces of darkness. Like David in his cave, and Jesus in the Garden, when we are surrounded by our enemies, we must call upon the Lord and he will always deliver us.

The servant of the LORD … As we look further, it is important to note that David was not favored by God because he served God; but rather, he served God because he was selected and appointed by God, in His sovereign mercy. David calls upon the Lord not because he deserves God’s deliverance as a result of his good deeds; but rather because he is God’s chosen one and David knows it. God has instructed David to trust Him, and to call upon Him for help in times of trouble. Those of us who have received Christ as our Lord and Savior come before God with all of the same rights, privileges, and instructions as David.

Positionally, we are heirs to the kingdom along with Christ. Our home has been prepared for us. You have been stationed here temporarily as an ambassador for Christ, with a ministry of reconciliation. You are in the middle of God’s will. You are positioned in his rest but you must acknowledge this fact. His plan is for your victory, not defeat. The larger the number of enemies standing against you ... the more mighty the deliverance God has planned for you. Your deliverance and your victory in the face of great peril will be used by God to draw others to His Son through you. You need to keep these facts, always at the front of your mind.

You must continually acknowledge Him, and His power, and His deliverance, in order to see the positive end result. Otherwise, you will likely get confused, and the next thing you know, you will be giving yourself credit for the deliverance that the Lord has provided you. You must make sure that your mind is clear on the facts: you got yourself into the darkness of the cave … the Lord Jesus Christ, and only Jesus will lead you to victory, and walk you step by step out of the darkness of the cave, and into the light.

Now this is tricky, because oftentimes God will give you the steps in your mind, or use someone else, or a book, to give you the steps or ideas for deliverance, and during the transfer and implementation of the information, it will unconsciously become your idea … but make no mistake about the source of your deliverance. The only way you can keep these truths straight in your mind, is to continually keep your vision focused on the source of your strength.

When you get down or are under attack, your natural tendency is to focus on your problems rather than on the Lord and His Word. Think about how foolish that is. If you are hungry, what do you do? Do you dwell on your hunger? Do you think ... maybe I ought to sit around and meditate on my hunger? Do you worry about how hungry you are? No way! First, you unconsciously start thinking about what you might like to eat. Maybe you look at your watch to check the time. And then when the time is right, you go get something to eat, and of course you thank the Lord for the food that He has provided. Some are so self sufficient, that even thanking God for their food takes effort. You need to develop this habit of giving God the glory, with all of the challenges that you face every day. When you are hungry for a solution to a problem, and the reality of it is confronting you, or your mind is unconsciously causing you to worry, or if you are consumed with fear because your circumstances are overwhelming, and you don’t know what to do …
Call Upon The Lord. He will always deliver you. He will never desert you, or forsake you.

This post is about resting in dark caves. David begins with; “I will love thee, O LORD, my strength”. And Jesus says; “he it is who loves me, will obey my commands”. So, this verse leads me to conclude, if we are praying for God’s deliverance, we must “obey His commands”. I have found that this is usually why God does not come to my rescue more quickly. You can’t be delivered by God, and deliver yourself at the same time. You need to stop trying to get it done your way, and trust in His guidance and His deliverance. It is hard, but sometimes you just need to stop and rest in Him ... in the dark. No fear … no worry; focus on the deliverance, meditate on His promises.
As a teacher of mine has often said; “The Lord is seldom early, but He is never late.” Harold Sala

When you meditate on these truths: “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies” He will encourage you and give you courage. You are a son of the most high, an heir to the kingdom of the world … what can man do to you? “The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.” He will always deliver you!

God Bless you my friends, Bob
Pray to receive Christ as Savior