Have you ever thought about who the Lord is to you? As I read the verses in 2 Samuel 22, I discovered who David thought the Lord was to him. David wrote this song of praise after God rescued him from those who were trying to persecute and kill him. To David, God was:
- His rock, fortress, and deliverer (v.2)
- His refuge, shield, horn of salvation, stronghold, Savior (v. 3)
- The One worthy of David’s praise (v. 4)
- The protector who fought all David’s battles (v. 5 – 16)
- His life-preserver (v. 17)
- His support (v. 19)
- His rescuer (v. 20)
- The reward/gift giver (v. 25)
- His lamp in the darkness (v. 29)
- His helper (v. 30)
- David’s strength and security (v. 33)
- The provider of David’s success (v. 34)
- David’s teacher (v. 35)
- David’s shield (v. 36)
- David’s path (v. 37)
- David’s freedom (v. 49)
David believed all the above mentioned things to be true about God. Therefore, he felt secure and loved in both good and bad circumstances.
So who do you believe God to be and how do you see yourself as a result? Perhaps you see God the way David did, a shield and protector. But maybe you’re not there yet and haven’t experienced or don’t feel worthy of His love and the security He gives. Maybe you are listening to the “labels” the “world” had slapped on you – nerd, loser, freak, weak, clumsy, idiot, moron, lazy, crazy, unlovable…and this list goes on and on.
I just want to tell you that the only label God sees when he looks at you is LOVED. YES! Whether you believe it or not… God loves you! The proof of this truth is found in John 3:16 (NCV)
“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.”
I also want you to see this same verse in the Message paraphrase.
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.”
I can not reiterate this enough…YOU ARE LOVED…. believe this “label” and wear it so that through you others may know they are LOVED too.
Find Hope @ The Hem 