“They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay” (2 Samuel 22:19).
TEXT — 2 Samuel 22:11-23
Message
David Livingstone, the foremost missionary to Africa, confidently proclaimed, “I go through the hazards of Africa and Jesus is by my side… without Christ, not one step; with Him, anywhere!” Ruth Bryan, the virtuous Puritan author wrote “My precious Jesus is my rest and refreshing, in all my weariness. As I lean on Him, I triumph!”
In our text, David spoke of how God delivered him from all his enemies and upheld him in times of trouble. David triumphed because he was obedient to God’s word and made the Lord his companion in times of trouble. Records abound of many saints of old who greatly enjoyed and testified to the steadfastness of Christ’s companionship, especially when all human help proved worthless.
It is futile to try to seek true companionship in money, position, power, occultism, materialism or alcoholism. A wealthy business tycoon once let out his frustration thus: “I have everything money can buy except the peace of mind.” A celebrity regretted that: “I had my ways of hiding my pain – laughing when there was nothing to laugh at; smiling when there was not anything to smile about. That was just my way of getting through life, pretending like everything was okay. I guess I did it so well that I really began to believe it. I fooled myself. Using my escapisms was my thing not to feel my pain – whatever would numb the pain… just because you have money doesn’t mean you can’t feel worthless, just because people consider you beautiful doesn’t mean that you feel that way…”
God remains the only One who can give us enduring peace, joy, and deliverance. Confidence in anyone – father, mother, siblings, spouse, children, neighbours, friends, and some church members – will fail. People can disappoint us when we need them most due to inherent limitations in terms of ability, knowledge, understanding, and resources. But Jesus will never fail you; He does not have such limitations.
Thought for the day
When all you have is God, then you have all you need.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
