Lord You Have Been My Help

                    

One spring, our hen hatched some chicks. One afternoon, when the little chicks were scattered all over the yard, I suddenly saw the shadow of a hawk overhead. What I thought would happen and what did happen were two different things. That mother hen did not run all over the barnyard and jump on top of those chicks in an attempt to cover them with her wings as one might have expected. Instead, to my surprise, she squatted down, spread out her wings and began to squawk.

Without hesitation, those little chicks came running to her from every direction and then ducked under those outstretched wings. All that mother hen did was cluck and expand her wings so they knew where to hide. Then she pulled her wings down tight, tucking every little chick safely under her. There was no way that hawk could get to those babies without going through that mother hen (Peggy Joyce Ruth, 2019).

A desert is considered harsh due to its extreme temperatures, lack of water and scarce vegetation, which make survival difficult for humans. David was in the desert of Judea when he wrote Psalm 63. He was in the midst of a very difficult trial. His own son was seeking to take his life. He had fled the comforts and security of his palace to dwell in the wilderness. It would seem that there would be very little to rejoice in.

It would have been easy to have grown discouraged and bitter towards God, but David kept a positive attitude. Rather than focus on the trial, he chose to rejoice in the Lord. In Psalm 63: 5-7 he says, “I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings”. 

Just as you feel physically after eating a delicious meal, so David felt spiritually after spending time with the Lord. David measured satisfaction by God’s presence, not changing landscapes. The imagery of a feast underscores the fulfillment found in communion with God. Thinking about God's ability to satisfy his every need brought into David's life a soul-filling joy that too few people ever know. He had satisfaction that comes not from material abundance but from a deep relationship with God.

Satisfaction does not come by circumstances on the outside but from blessings on the Inside!” Jesus said to the woman at the Samaritan well, “everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life”(John 4:13-14).  Later Jesus said “whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them" (John 7:37-39).

David says “on my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night” (Ps. 63:6-7). David does not spend sleepless night thinking about how life has been unfair or how God has failed him or even planning on how to destroy his enemies. Instead he turns his sleepless nights into quiet times of reflection and worship. Night time is a powerful time for prayer, reflection and seeking God's presence.The quiet and solitude of the night provide an ideal setting for communion with God, free from the distractions of daily life. 

The author of Psalm 119 is unknown, but traditions, both Jewish and Christian, attribute it to King David. The author says “at midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous judgments ...I rise before dawn and cry for help; in your word I have put my hope. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night that I may meditate on your promises” (Ps.119:62,148).These verses reflect a deep longing and eagerness for communion with God, even during the night. 

David meditates on God in the night because night is pre-eminently the season for solemn thought. In the quiet of the night, David hears from God. In Psalm16:7 he says “I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me”. Psalm 42:8 says “the Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me-A prayer to the God of my life.

Job 35:8-10 says “people cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful.  But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night”. Any man can sing in the day; any man can sing to the praise of a God who gives a plenteous harvest. No man can make a song in the night himself. It is not natural to sing in trouble. Only God can give a song in the night season.

In Psalm 63:7 David says “because you have been my help, therefore in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy”.  In this verse David looks at the rear view mirror of his life with joy and gratitude.  He says to God “you have been my help”. David had often experienced this help. He does not make this statement in reference to one solitary incident in his life but he sees continuity in the lovingkindness of his God.

Possibly he thought about the years of his youth which he spent in the wilderness taking care of his father’s sheep. God had protected him in the lonely wilderness where lions and bears roamed freely. Later God rescued him from Goliath, a giant and seasoned soldier (1 Sam 17). Three times Saul tried to kill him with a spear but God protected him (1 Sam.18:10-11, 19:9-10).  When this didn’t work Saul sent men to watch his house but again David escaped (1 Sam. 19:11-17).

Psalm 59 is a beautiful song where David recounts God’s faithfulness in protecting him from the hand of Saul. 1 Samuel 19 gives the background of the song. David says “You are my strength, I watch for you; you, God, are my fortress,  my God on whom I can rely…I will sing of your strength,  in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely” (Ps.59:9-19;16-17).

In Psalm 28:7-8 David says “the Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy and with my song I praise him. ” God had been David’s help all through. In his sufferings the Lord enabled him to be calm and brave. In the time of danger God kept him from the hand of the enemy. And now, in Psalm 63, though he is in the wilderness of Judah, David looks back and joyfully sings to his God, “you have been my help.”

David says “because you have been my help, therefore in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy” (Ps 63:7). He knows that he is hid in the shadow of God’s wing as a baby chick hides for protection under the mother hen’s wing. As the chicken deem themselves safe while under the wing of the mother-bird, so is David safe under God’s protection. He is not only safe from danger, but hidden from it; he cannot see it and it cannot find him.

Psalm 57 was written by David when he had fled from Saul into a cave. He wrote “I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed... My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn…I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies”.

In Psalm 27:5-6 David says “in the time of trouble he shall hide me in His pavilion. In the secret place of His tabernacle he shall hide me. He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me. Therefore, I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord”. David’s soul was at rest. Even in the middle of a calamity which would push many to fall apart emotionally, David had inner peace and calm.

In Psalm 40:1-5, David recounts some of the dark seasons of his life saying: I waited patiently for the Lord;  he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit,  out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord”.

It doesn’t matter how David got himself into the horrible pit or miry clay – he cried out to the Lord and the Lord answered and rescued him!  And he did not just turn and walk away: he testified of what the Lord had done (Ps.40:9-10). David did not turn his back on God, he turned his face to God in praise regardless of his situation. Praise empowered David to withstand life’s pressures through to the manifestation of the promises!

It was from a personal overflow of the presence of God that David inspired the people around him to worship. He took action on his faith in the Lord and showed his love, respect, and gratitude to the Lord through his praise. For David, praise and worship were not part of his life, they were his life in every area, in every season and for every reason. For David, God was first and his lifestyle of praise showed his priorities.

David’s lifestyle of praise was built around gratitude. It was always gratitude expressed in a new song to the Lord. He showed the Lord the respect and honor he is due by giving back in the sacrifice of praise. Worship kept him close to God even in the worst times in his life. David could always have a “new song” for the Lord even when life was so hard.This is because he did not blame God for the bad things in life! David had a heart of gratitude, a perspective of gratitude and actions of gratitude.

David did not waste time worrying about death. In Psalm 139:16 he says “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be”. General Sonewall Jackson said, “my religious convictions teach me to feel as safe in battle as if I were safe asleep in my bed. The time of my death is fixed. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready no matter when it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live and then they would be equally brave.”

God’s help has also been continuous to us too. In the time of our darkness we could not see the link; but, looking back, we can see it now. If you have experienced God’s power, you know that “with God all things are possible” (Matt.19:26). If you have experienced his faithfulness, you know that “the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thess.3:3). God is always faithful. He will keep His promise and will be true to all those who trust in Him. He will be their help, even to the end.