The life of David wasn’t glamorous.

I love how David wrote the book of psalms. One Psalm he is in total despair, stressed out, and anxious. The very next Psalm he is praising God for his faithfulness. Sometimes the praises happened after the Lord helped him, other times the praises were written in the midst of the chaos around him. His enemies may have been physical enemies (in opporation by spiritual enemies), and our enemies may not be physical war but spiritual warfare. We can trust that Jesus defeated the enemy and he is under our feet. We just have to know who is in us is greater then who is in the world and walk in our full authority and identity in Christ.

We too can cry out to God in total frustration and anguish one moment and praise him in the next. Our faith will overcome the moments of our weaknesses, and Jesus in us will be strong for us. The reality is that like David, we are human and sometimes we see what’s coming at us instead of looking up to the one who is our shield. I find that reading Psalms is so helpful because it reminds me that I’m not that different from David. (In the emotional sense). He was a man after God’s own heart who struggled and had hard emotional days, then had days of great faith and thanksgiving. But he always knew who the Lord was and that he could talk or sing unto him and that the Lord would listen. We can find comfort in knowing the outcome of David’s story, but we have to remember that David didn’t know the outcome, he just knew the struggle right in front of him. He had to seek the Lord daily for a renewed strength just as we do. People love to talk about the GREAT faith moments like David defeating Goliath, David being anointed as king, and eventually being a great King, but we must not negate the in between moments, and there was A LOT more of those then those great hill top moments. We too may have a lot more valley moments then hill top moments, but like David, we know God is faithful and deserves the praise, even when we don’t feel like it.

Psalms 34:1-19, 22 NLT
[1] I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.

[2] I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart.

[3] Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.

🙌[4] I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.

😃 [5] Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

💓[6] In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles.

⚔️[7] For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

[8] Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

💓[9] Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need.
➡️ [10] Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

[11] Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord. [12] Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous?

👅 [13] Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!

[14] Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.⬅️

👀 [15] The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help.

[16] But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth.

[17] The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.

💓 [18] The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

[19] The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

🙌[22] But the Lord will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Amen!!!