With-full Thinking

“With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes.” ­– Psalm 60:12 NLT

Things didn’t always go well for David. His reign wasn’t always easy. It was marked with war and not all the battles went his way. And there were times when he wondered just exactly what God was doing, what He was up to. Psalm 60 records just such a time. From David’s perspective, it felt as if God had turned against him.

“You have rejected us…” (Vs 1)

“…broken our defenses…” (Vs 1)

“You have been angry with us…” (Vs 1)

“You have shaken our land and split it open…” (Vs 2)

“You have been very hard on us…” (Vs 3)

But in spite of the circumstances surrounding him, David fell back on the promises of God. He placed his hope in God’s faithfulness. He called out to God and reminded Him of His promises to the people of Israel. “Use your strong right arm to save us, and rescue your beloved people. God has promised this by his holiness : ‘I will divide up Shechem with joy. I will measure out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine. Ephraim will produce my warriors, and Judah will produce my kings. Moab will become my lowly servant, and Edom will be my slave. I will shout in triumph over the Philistines.'” (Psalm 60:5-9 NLT).

David knew he needed God’s help. He knew the answer to his problem was God and God alone. No mere man was going to be able to deliver him. His hope was to be found in God. “Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless” (Psalm 60:11 NLT). David feared the rejection of God. He knew just how serious that would be, so he refused to take God’s presence for granted. He was fully aware just how vulnerable he and his kingdom would be without God. So he appealed to God for His help. David knew that WITH God, all things were possible. There was no predicament too difficult or foe too strong. “With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes” (Psalm 60:12).

It reminds me of the words of Paul to the Philippians: “For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need” (Philippians 4:13 NLT). Do we believe that? Do we live our lives as if that is a fact and not just some empty statement we quote to someone else when they are going through difficulty? Paul believed it, just as David did. They both knew that with God all things were possible, but that without Him they were weak, vulnerable, exposed, and incapable of surviving in this world. As believers, sometimes our life with God is nothing more than our hope of eternal salvation. We believe, and rightfully so, that because of what Christ has done on the cross, we are assured of our future salvation and a place in heaven. But we tend to live our lives in this world without God. It is as if we believe that we are on our own as long as we are living on this planet. We make decisions without God. We plan our days and our lives without God. We do battle with the enemy without God’s help. We raise our children without God’s wisdom. We celebrate our successes without giving God thanks or credit. We suffer setbacks and trials without calling out to God for help or deliverance.

But the Psalmist knew that life without God is no life at all. Paul knew that success and survival were both dependent upon God. With God’s help, we can do mighty things. We can do all things with the help of Christ. For the life of a believer, the word “with” is more than a preposition. It’s the key to living the life we’ve been called to live. With God, a life of holiness is possible. With God, sinful habits can be defeated. With God, joy can be a reality. With God, Satan can be resisted. With God, abundant life can be experienced. With God, trials can be rejoiced in, not just endured. A life with God is a full life. So why not include Him in yours today?

Father, I tend to live my life too much without You. Please forgive me. Today’s reading has been a reminder of just how much I need You. But that thought needs to permeate my thinking each day, all day. Continue to remind me just how much I need You. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org