Monday after Oculi Sunday
Posted on March 4, 2024 by under
Scripture: 2 Samuel 22:1-7 (NKJV)
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.”
Devotion
The giant Goliath was tremendously strong. He was almost ten feet tall and the weight of his armor alone could have damaged a normal man. Yet David was able to overcome him, take away his armor, and rescue the people of Israel from the Philistine threat. In this song, David confesses that it was God who delivered him from death on this and many other occasions throughout his life. He does not take any of the glory for himself. He puts all of his trust in God and humbly cries out to the Lord for deliverance.
Satan is a more intimidating threat against God’s people than Goliath ever was. His strength is his ability to deceive and kill, as he did in the Garden of Eden. No ordinary man can overcome him. But Jesus is no ordinary man. He is true God, and is infinitely stronger than Satan. It was He who saved David from Goliath and it is He who overcomes Satan and rescues us from the dominion of death. When we are terrified by “waves of death” or “floods of ungodliness,” we ought to imitate David and put our trust in our Lord Jesus Christ, who saves us from sin, death, and Satan.
Collect: We beseech Thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of Thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of Thy majesty to be our defense against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Season of Lent
Almighty and Everlasting God, Who hatest nothing that Thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of Thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
