David now recounts how God delivered him.

The Valley of Death

David does not forget where he was when God delivered him. He was close to death; everywhere he looked he only saw death. Where could David have gone? David was so pressed by Saul that he had to go into a cave to hide, a cave which the entire army came to the entrance of and Saul himself entered. Imagine being David as you see rank after rank of the army filing in in front of the cave in which you are hiding. David was scared and truly felt as if he was in the trap of death. It appeared as if he had no way out. This happened numerous times for David.

Prayer turns the tide

David turned to the Lord in his times of trial. He cried out to God in prayer. It is interesting to note how he moves away from calling God by His name to referring to Him as “my God.” You can see his faith in God, a faith that has become very personal over the years of trusting God.

God rescues David.

God heard David’s prayer and came to rescue him. Verses 7-19 describe the power and majesty of God in very vivid terms. Notice here that David wants us to see God, not himself. He wants God to receive all of the glory for what He has done. He tells us of God’s anger and wrath; God loves and protects His children. He speaks of God coming down from heaven; God is personally involved in our deliverance. He describes God as the worst storm imaginable; a storm so fierce that it literally splits the ground in two. He wants us to see the power of God exercised on behalf of those who trust in Him. He speaks of God as reaching down and pulling him out of the trap that he was in.

All glory goes to God

In describing his deliverance, David notes that his enemies were too strong for him. David does not take any credit for what was done. God is the One Who did it all. Why did God do this? Simply, because it pleased God to do so. We will look next time at David’s righteousness, but we must never forget the source of his righteousness, God Himself. The language here is very similar to what is found in Genesis 6:8 concerning Noah. Noah was righteous in his generation because of God’s grace. David ascribes everything to God. The Geneva Bible translators put it this way, “The cause of God’s deliverance is his favor and love for us.”

Application:

Where do we turn when we are in difficulties?

What does our prayer life say about our faith?

Will you give God all the glory for your salvation?

Will you glorify God for all He has done in your life?