STREETWISE GOD
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, you know everything about me, things no one else does, things I do not even understand about myself. You know what I need today to help me to live it in ways that please you.
Read 2 SAMUEL 22:17-30
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
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[a] 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[b];
with my God I can scale a wall.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 22:25 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) to the cleanness of my hands
- 2 Samuel 22:30 Or can run through a barricade
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
How real are you before God? With others, we may present ourselves in a certain way, and our relationships may seem guarded. Not so with our Father in heaven. We can pour our hearts out to him in confession and praise.Here, David’s life signature tune continues. God is faithful to those who are faithful to him (v 26)—whatever our situation, whoever we are with.
I remember hearing of a pastor, who in her spiritual care of others was exemplary, known to be sincere in her faith and gracious in her relationships. She was also chair of trustees of a significant charity. In this context too, her values and conduct were gracious. She remained open-hearted and was able to manage the charity in an efficient and business-like manner. In other words, she was authentic. Is such faithful consistency evident in our own lives too (vs 21-25)?
Remember the young David, in whom God saw a man after his own heart (1 Samuel 16:7; Acts 13:22)? According to verses 25 and 26, when we live our lives before him as faithful, authentic and pure-hearted people (v 27), then he, in turn, meets us in the same spirit. But notice, where there is hypocrisy or guile, he is not taken in, and we will find it hard to connect with him (vs 27, 28).
Apply
Where are areas in which you need more faith, more grace—a heart that is more open?
Closing prayer
Lord, in the simplicity of this moment, I set aside all pretense and hypocrisy as I pour out my heart to you—my strengths and my weaknesses.
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