that I may walk before God in the light of life

For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
Psalm 56:13

I can sit in the pre-dawn gray and remember the mercies of God because He has kept me going. It hasn't always been easy. God has helped me to walk before Him. He has delivered me from death both in the eternal sense and in that most tangible of senses: I am alive right now for His purposes. All my experience with God has been that He can be trusted to deliver me in my difficulties.

I am not running for my life. David wrote this psalm originally as Saul and government armed forces chased him in the Judean desert. As David lived on the run with several narrow escapes, and with the increasing responsibility of caring for and leading a ragtag group of fellow discontented fighting men, he found that God was his defense. Time and again Saul could have had him, but in each instance God clearly delivered David, many times in a fashion that also told Saul how wrong it was to seek to see David dead. This sort of sovereign deliverance became a regular feature of David's existence in the wilderness.

David's response to God's sovereign love and care was worship and commitment. He sang his praises to God even as he ran for his life. Many psalms were written during this phase of David's life, when he wondered to God if his enemies would kill him, yet he trusted God Who had always taken care of him with His powerful presence and protection. David also vowed to give back to God Who kept His servant safe and sound. The verse just previous (Psalm 56:12) is David's promise to bring sacrifices and offerings to the Lord along with his petitions. He gave to the God Who so graciously gave David life, salvation, and protection on all sides.

Lord,
You know how cornered I feel at this moment. I have been powerless to change my circumstances and am trusting You. At times I feel trapped in a rock canyon with the enemy closing in. Yet I will trust in You. You know the impossibilities I face. You know the pain I am feeling. You know the sleepless nights and the sighing days. You hear my cry. You have kept me, and You will make Your presence and power known in Your time. Like David, I will keep giving, serving, sacrificing, and trusting.
Amen