2 Samuel 22

My Rock in Every Storm

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.” ~ 2 Samuel 22:2

 Have you ever been through a season when you weren’t sure how you were going to make it to the other side? You may have prayed, “God, I know You’re with me,” while another part of you was thinking, “Okay, but could You please explain the plan?” Sometimes faith looks confident on the outside while your questions are doing laps on the inside.

David understood this. By the time we get to the season of life he was in that we read about in today’s scripture reading, he had lived through years of danger, betrayal, battles, rejection, and uncertainty. He had been hunted by Saul, surrounded by enemies, and forced to make decisions that could have cost him his life. Yet when he finally looked back, he didn’t focus on how strong he had been. He focused on how faithful God had been.

David’s song in this chapter gives us three important truths about living as God’s people today. When life gets shaky, we don’t need a stronger version of ourselves. We need to remember who our God is, trust His way, and make Him our place of safety.

Below are three of the truths David discovered through all those difficult years. God wasn’t simply waiting for David to survive his circumstances. He was showing David where his strength really came from.

1. God can be your safe place when life doesn’t feel safe.

David began in this chapter by calling God his rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, stronghold, refuge, and Savior. That’s quite a list! Apparently, David had been through enough trouble to know that one description wasn’t going to cover it.

The beautiful thing is that David wasn’t describing a God who simply watches from a distance. He was sending the message about a God who had personally been his protection through some very difficult circumstances.

We need this reminder today because our world can feel uncertain. News headlines can change before you’ve even finished your morning coffee. Relationships can change. Jobs can change. Finances can change. Our plans can change. Sometimes it seems like the only thing that doesn’t change is the fact that something else is changing!

But God remains steady and our salvation in His Son Jesus, is sure. That doesn’t mean we won’t experience trouble. David certainly did. It means we don’t have to face trouble alone.

• When you’re anxious about something, stop and tell God specifically what you’re afraid of. Don’t just carry the weight around in your head.
• When circumstances are changing, remind yourself of what hasn’t changed. God is still faithful, He is still good, and He is still with you.
• When you don’t know what to do next, make prayer your first response instead of your emergency backup plan.

If you’re facing a difficult conversation with someone you love, don’t spend the entire night rehearsing every possible response. Take it to God first. Ask Him for wisdom, grace, and the right words. Then trust Him to help you walk into the conversation with peace.

2. God’s way is better than your way.

David said in verse 31, “As for God, His way is perfect.” That statement is powerful because David had plenty of opportunities to choose his own way.

There were times when David could have taken matters into his own hands. He could have killed Saul when he had the opportunity. He could have responded to enemies out of anger. He could have tried to force God’s promises to happen on his own timetable.

But David knew that God’s way was worth trusting, even when it wasn’t the easiest way.

That’s a lesson we need today. We often want God’s plan, but preferably with a detailed itinerary, estimated arrival times, and maybe a tracking number. But God rarely give us that. Sometimes He simply says, “Trust Me and take the next step.”

We may not understand why a door closed, why an opportunity hasn’t happened yet, why a relationship changed, or why God seems to be taking us through a longer process than we expected. But not understanding God’s way doesn’t mean God’s way isn’t good.

• Before making a major decision, ask God what the plan is and what He wants to do through the situation instead of asking Him to bless what you’ve already decided.
• When a door closes, don’t immediately assume you’ve failed. Ask God what He may be protecting you from or where He may be leading you next.
• When God’s timing feels slow, resist the temptation to rush ahead simply because you’re tired of waiting.  Don’t move until you have His “Word” on the matter.

Maybe you’ve been praying for a particular opportunity and it hasn’t happened yet. Instead of forcing the door open, ask, “Lord, what do You want me to do today?” Your assignment may not be to make the opportunity happen. It may simply be to prepare yourself for what He is already preparing for you.

3. Remember what God has already brought you through.

One of my favorite things about this chapter is that David is looking backward while praising God. He remembers the trouble, but he also remembers God’s faithfulness through it. There is power in praise and in remembering.

When you’re in the middle of a new battle, it’s easy to forget the victories you’ve already experienced. The problem you’re facing today can suddenly feel like the biggest problem that has ever existed.

But it isn’t the first time God has helped you. Think about it. There were things you once thought you couldn’t survive that you’re now looking back on and saying, “God brought me through that.”

You may not have known how He would do it at the time. You may have cried, prayed, questioned, waited, and probably had a few conversations with God that included, “Lord, I really don’t understand what You’re doing here.” Yet somehow, you made it through. And if God was faithful then, He is faithful now.

• Make a list of times God has answered your prayers or carried you through difficult seasons.
• When fear tries to come, read that list and thank God for His faithfulness.
• Share your testimony with someone who is currently walking through something similar.

For example, if you’re facing a financial challenge today, remember the times God provided for you before. If you’re facing a family struggle, remember the relationships He has helped you through. If you’re waiting for direction, remember the times He led you when you didn’t know where you were going. Your history with God can become fuel for your faith.

David’s song wasn’t simply about what God had done. It was a declaration of who God was in every season. He was David’s rock, his fortress, his deliverer, his shield, his refuge, and his Savior.

That same God is available to us today. He hasn’t changed, and His character hasn’t changed. The world around us may shake, but our foundation doesn’t have to.

Today I want to encourage you to make God your rock in every season. When life feels uncertain, run to Him instead of running to fear. When you don’t understand His plan, trust His character. When you’re tempted to believe that this current problem is bigger than anything you’ve faced before, remember what He has already brought you through.

You don’t have to know everything that’s coming next to know that God will be there when you get there. Take some time today to thank Him for the victories He has already brought you through and surrender the struggles you’re facing right now. Let His faithfulness become bigger in your heart than the circumstances surrounding you. You may not know what tomorrow holds, but you know who holds tomorrow.

Today’s scripture reading: 2 Samuel 22

1 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. 

2 And he said: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

3 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.

4 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

5 “When the waves of death surrounded me, The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

6 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

7 In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple,

And my cry entered His ears.

8 “Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry.

9 Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it.

10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet.

11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew; And He was seen upon the wings of the wind.

12 He made darkness canopies around Him, Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

13 From the brightness before Him Coals of fire were kindled.

14 “The Lord thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice.

15 He sent out arrows and scattered them; Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.

16 Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered, At the rebuke of the Lord, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

17 “He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters.

18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me; For they were too strong for me.

19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support.

20 He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.

21 “The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not wickedly departed from my God.

23 For all His judgments were before me; And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.

24 I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity.

25 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His eyes.

26 “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

27 With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

28 You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down.

29 “For You are my lamp, O Lord; The Lord shall enlighten my darkness.

30 For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall.

31 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

32 “For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?

33 God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect.

34 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.

35 He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great.

37 You enlarged my path under me; So my feet did not slip.

38 “I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet.

40 For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose against me.

41 You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me.

42 They looked, but there was none to save; Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.

43 Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trod them like dirt in the streets, And I spread them out.

44 “You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people; You have kept me as the head of the nations. A people I have not known shall serve me.

45 The foreigners submit to me; As soon as they hear, they obey me.

46 The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts.

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

48 It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me;

49 He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.

50 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name.

51 “He is the tower of salvation to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore.”

Journal:

• What situation in my life feels uncertain or unsafe right now?
• Am I running to God first, or am I trying to figure everything out on my own?
• What has God already brought me through that I need to remember today?
• Is there an area where I’m trying to make my own plan instead of trusting God’s way?
• What is one step I believe God is asking me to take today?
• How can I become more aware of God’s faithfulness in my everyday life?