We all face challenges in life, and we often need help to overcome them. As we age, our reliance on others grows because our physical and mental abilities can decline. In the Bible, we can learn from David, who faced many challenges throughout his life, from youth to old age. Despite his struggles, he managed to overcome everything that came his way, how did he overcame , is what we will learn.
David’s life experience - God was his Refuge in times of Trouble
David says God is his refuge and fortress and whom he trusts, this was his foundation in his life in everything he did we read on this Psalms 91:2 'I will say of the Lord , “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
David trusted God as he truly believed with his heart and soul God is the source of every thing (Worldly need and Spiritual Needs (Righteousness, faithfulness, love etc..)
God is the fortress to protect us from the troubles, troubles comes to Children of God as its a struggle between the godly desires vs ungodly wicked things Psalms 71:4 'Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel. ‘
Refuge in his righteousness
The battles we go thru is to take us away from the righteous path of walking with God to lead to a unrighteous sin filled path. Psalms 71:1-2 'In you, Lord , I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me. '
David’s advice is to find refuge in God, not rely on our own good deeds. Instead, we should trust in God’s righteousness, and He will rescue and deliver us. He asks God to listen and save him: “In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me.”
Because David (the psalmist) trusted in God, he asks confidently to act righteously and deliver him. He wanted God's righteousness to work in his favor
Sustain Refuge by seeking God’s faithfulness
Psalms 71:3 'Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. '
As David looks to God for refuge, he also strengthens his faith in Him. He says, "Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go," similar to what he expresses in Psalm 91:2.
With the faith to profuse with your mouth to say “give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress”
As you cover in his refuge thru the faith that we reinforce in Psalms 91:4 “…his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
Faith in God acts as a shield, helping us stay strong and rely on Him to get through life's storms.
David describes this in his writings (2 Samuel 22:2-4) during the time when Saul was pursuing him to take his life 2 Samuel 22:2-4 'He said: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 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. “I called to the Lord , who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies. '
David lived a life pleasing so that the last days he will be victorious in righteousness and faith
Isaiah 11:3-5 '… He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. '
David’s Life experience - Start Early
Psalms 71:5-8 'For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord , my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you. I have become a sign to many; you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. '
David says he has trusted in God since birth. In Psalm 71:6 (NIV), he describes his dependence: "From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.”
David didn't place his hope in his brothers or family. Since his youth, his hope has been in the Lord. As he says in Psalm 71:5, "You have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.”
David's hope comes from his experiences with God. As a shepherd boy, he trusted God while protecting his sheep, even killing lions and bears.
David shared his experiences of trusting in God during his youth with King Saul when he was asked to fight Goliath, as recounted in 1 Samuel 17:33-37. 'Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” '
David's success is in praising God's work. When we praise Him, there's no room for complaining (murmuring / lamenting about the situations) or turning away (Backsliding from God). As Psalm 71:8 says, "My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.”
How can we learn to praise God during tough times? The key is to learn to trust Him, the trust that God is the source and he is the refuge to get me out of this. Knowing his word and his word strengthening us to trust him more.. Just as trust comes from knowing God, praise comes from trusting Him. You can't genuinely praise someone you don't trust. If deep-down inside you doubt God’s goodness or faithfulness for allowing some trial to come your way, then you don’t trust Him and without trusting him you can't sincerely praise Him
David’s Life experience - When he is Old
David faced conflict with his own son Absalom (2 Samuel 17-18) and was also involved in wars against the Philistines (2 Samuel 21:15-22), out of his experiences dealing with the loved one who came against him and all the wars he has fought he writes
Psalms 71:9-11 'Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. They say, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.” ‘
But his trust is on God
Psalms 71:14-19 'As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long— though I know not how to relate them all. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord ; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone. Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. Who is like you, God? ‘
How did David reach this state? We know his youth shaped him, but even as a wealthy king, he didn't rely on his riches for security.
Trusting in Wealth or Possessions: We shouldn't depend on things like cars or other possessions for security. The Bible says Psalm 20:7 "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God" . It also says Psalm 33:17 "A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength, it cannot save" . David’s days it was horses and chariots, our days its our Car / scooter and other wealth we posses. This teaches us not to place our trust in material things.
Trusting in the Army of David / Bows & Arrows : We shouldn't rely on weapons like bows and swords for our safety, Davids days it was his bows and swords, today we have our personal security, extra locks we have in our house, fire proof vault etc.. As the Bible says Psalm 44:6-7 "I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame" This means we can't completely depend on police / army force to protect us from the troubles, only God will act as a personal security for us.
Trusting in Other People Ahithophel (Relying on Friends or Neighbours in Our Context)
Ahithophel was the advisor for David and Absolm, David relied on his advice to do many things. we read on this in 2 Samuel 16:23 'Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice.’
The same Ahithophel conspired to wage war against David, David prayed to God to fight the battle against him and his advice.2 Samuel 15:31 'Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “ Lord , turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.” ‘
We should not rely on people or those with influence. They may be kind with us when things are going well, they may abandon us in times of trouble. That's why David said, Psalm 118:8-9 "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes".
Trusting on Family - Absolam waged war against David
We should not rely solely on our family members—not because they are insincere, but because they have their own limitations. Even in a deeply loving marriage, there are times when each spouse may face challenges alone, as the other may not be able to help. It's important to remember that God should always be given the first place, even in marital relationships. As it says in the Bible, Micah 7:5,7 "Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with the woman who lies in your embrace guard the words of your lips... But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior"
Trusting in Ourselves:
We shouldn't even trust ourselves. Chariots, horses, bows, and arrows can't save us - we saw that earlier, friends / family members can't always help
In such situations, we might think, "I have to rely on myself now." But God doesn't approve of this either. He may remove everything we've relied on, teaching us not to trust in ourselves.
The Apostle Paul experienced a similar situation where he says he relied on God more than himself, saying 2 Corinthians 1:9 "Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead"
Pray to God to give you strength in life's struggles and to be your refuge. Don't rely on material things like wealth, cars, money, or houses; don't depend solely on your family, friends, or your own abilities. Only God can truly help you, no matter your age. This happens when you experience God's goodness and rely on Him. David described God's presence as more precious than gold and sweeter than honeycomb, as in Psalm 19:10 (NIV): "They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.”
Pray to God to help you experience this transformation. Even if you have the desire, our human nature can make it hard to rely on God. Keep praying, meditating, and reading his word again and again for strength. Strive to live like David, who depended on God daily until his last breath. Don't give up because of failures. God is caring and always ready to help, no matter how many times you've failed. Satan may try to sway you away from depending on God, especially if your prayers aren't answered the way you expected. Don't fall for this trick. Follow David's advice—he faced more challenging situations than most of us. Let's learn from his life experience to trust God.
Amen