SING WHEN YOU’RE WINNING?
Opening Prayer
Thank You, God, for who You are. Remind me of Your charac-ter today as I meet You in Your Word.
Read 2 Samuel 22:1–30
David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—
from violent people you save me.
4 “I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and have been saved from my enemies.
5 The waves of death swirled about me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 “In my distress I called to the Lord;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
8 The earth trembled and quaked,
the foundations of the heavens shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
bolts of lightning blazed forth.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the blast of breath from his nostrils.
17 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
21 “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
25 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.
26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
28 You save the humble,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
29 You, Lord, are my lamp;
the Lord turns my darkness into light.
30 With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Can you think of a song that has helped you focus on God in times of trouble?There is a chant that resonates from soccer grounds when a team scores against the opposing team, “Sing when you’re winning, you only sing when you’re winning!”
Many of the hymns and songs we sing today are written from a place of trial. As a songwriter, I know that trials are often a catalyst for my songwriting. David was both a king and a songwriter. In this passage, we see David pour out his heart to God. What key themes do you see emerging?
In verses 1 to 4 God is a rock, refuge and savior. God is a deliverer (5–7,17–20). Verses 8–16 remind us that God is pow-erful. God is also righteous, pure and faithful (21–30). Take a moment to dwell on these things in order to get a true per-spective on who God is and who you are in relation to him.
This song involves David focusing on God and in turn chang-ing his mind and heart as he sings. Singing songs of truth can bring us from despair to grace. We should not just sing when we are winning. We should look to Christ at all times as the One who demonstrates the love of the Father to us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Apply
Choose a song today that will help you fix your mind on Christ. Sing it throughout your day, whether it’s out loud or in your head.
Closing prayer
“You are our strength, You are our joy, and we abide in You” (Clive Parnell).
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