thoughts of salvation

Do you ever just fear...
that you're not enough,
that you're all alone,
that you're going to fail,
that you're doing it wrong,
that you're being judged,
that you're going to freak out
if you don't stop fearing everything?

Standing out in the open is a scary place.
If only we had a place to hide...
to feel safe, secure and shielded.

David spend years feeling as we do...
on the run from Saul...
and other enemies
who wanted to take him down.

While he had real foes
with real weapons that draw blood,
and some of us may as well.
Most of us aren't really dodging spears.

But we are dodging thoughts.
​Those of insecurity and self-doubt.

We would do well,
to read the Psalms of David.
​For he was a man of self-encouragement 
and incredible praise and worship unto God.

Here are some excerpts from
one such example...
​
Then David spoke to the Lord 
the words of this song,
on the day when the Lord had delivered him
from the hand of all his enemies,
and from the hand of Saul. 
And he said:
The Lord is my rock and
my fortress and my deliverer;
The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation,
My stronghold and my refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.
I will call upon the Lord, 
who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

You have also given me the
shield of Your salvation;
Your gentleness has made me great.
You enlarged my path under me;
So my feet did not slip.

The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let God be exalted,
The Rock of my salvation!

He is the tower of salvation to His king,
And shows mercy to His anointed,
​2 Samuel 22:1-4, 36-37, 47, 51

Amazing!
These are the words David penned...
on the day the Lord delivered him from his enemies.
Grateful,
thankful,
praiseworthy words,
not pridefully pointing to himself for victory.
Rather knowing that God was for him,
and delivered him.

That God granted him salvation
in so many forms.

Salvation...
often a 'churchy' word today,
we think of it as being used
to mean the deliverance from the power
and eternal penalty of sin.
And that is true.
​
But here, David means...
the protection from harm,
risk, loss or destruction.

God is our...
Shield of Salvation
Horn of Salvation
Rock of Salvation
Tower of Salvation

The shield that protects,
like a piece of armor deflecting harm.

The horn, like that of an animal,
that shows it's power.

The rock that is a solid foundation,
steady and unshakable.

The tower, providing shelter...
a safe place to hide, to rest,
to be restored.

Thank you, David,
for showing us how to worship God
as our salvation!
Not only delivering us from sin and death,
but keeping us from harm,
providing His power,
to conquer our thought life.

Lord I trust You, my
steady and unshakable God.
I will picture myself hiding in Your tower...
I will replace my fears
with those of your thoughts of me.
There I will hide, rest and be restored.

Word of God,
train me, today...
to turn to God at the beginning of my time of need,
to always praise the Lord, for apart from Him, I can do nothing.