Day 6: Strength and defense
But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. (Psalm 5:11 - NKJV).
Heavenly Father, Your people praised You in song, "Who among the gods is like You, Lord? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders" (Exodus 15:11)?
They had just witnessed Your amazing deliverance, not just from bondage and slavery, but from enemy pursuit, and they burst out in spontaneous praise, “The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation..." (Exodus 15:2).
Centuries later, King David was to pray, “How great You are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like You, and there is no God but You... And who is like Your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for Himself, and to make a name for Himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before Your people, whom You redeemed from Egypt?" (2 Samuel 7: 22-23).
But in the beginning when You went out to redeem them, they did not know You, and Moses struggled with the introduction: Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” (Exodus 3:13).
You taught them Your name, Lord—taught them to know You. You revealed Your perfect love, Your faithfulness, Your might, and Your power as You took them from bondage to the land You had promised. The escape from Egypt and the Red Sea miracle were by no means the last time they were to experience the truth that The Lord, the Lord Himself, is my strength and my defense (Isaiah 12:2).
In our own journey, Father, You are teaching us who You are—teaching us to trust in Your name, to rely on Your faithful and infallible character: Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You (Psalm 9:10). Your name Lord, is a strong [fortified] tower; the righteous run to it and are safe (Proverbs 18:10).
But sometimes, like Your people of old, we miss the numberless ways You bless us. Like them, we are often preoccupied only with the natural. And like them, we fume and fret over the meat we crave. We ungratefully demand the cucumbers, leeks, melons, onions, and garlic of Egypt (Numbers 11:5). And all the while, we miss Your glorious protective presence—Your pillar of cloud and Your pillar of fire that stand guard around us day and night.
Lord, You are our Strength and Defense. You spread Your protection over us (Psalm 5:11 - NIV). You work in the immediate and the present, in the distant and the future, in the seen and the unseen.
Let our heart's cry be to know You more, to pray like the apostle Paul, "I want to know Christ..." (Philippians 3:10). Teach us to fully trust You. Give us the joy and security of those who love Your Name.
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