The Battle Still Belongs to the Lord

By Deb Marsalisi

“Then David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. And he said: ‘The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence.’”—2 Samuel 22:1–3 (NKJV)

Have you ever had one of those awful dreams where you’re being chased—where it feels so real that pure adrenaline pulses through your veins and wakes you up in a cold sweat? I’m talking about the kind of dream that haunts you for the rest of the day. Well, this was David’s reality for eight long years. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to wake up from this nightmare.

Can we pause and sit in that for a moment? Imagine the level of stress and hardship David experienced on a regular basis—on the run, looking over his shoulder, strategically hiding from Saul, who was only a few steps behind with his well-equipped army seeking to destroy him. Without understanding the context in which David pens these magnificent words, we can read right past them and think, What a beautiful poem! To David, these words echoed gratitude for his very life . . . day after day, year after year.

Let’s look at some of the adjectives David uses to describe and worship God.

My deliverer: This wasn’t just a title; this was his intimate experience of God’s mighty action-oriented goodness! God delivered David from multiple enemies. He was delivered from Goliath, Saul, many of Israel’s opponents, and even his son, Absalom, to name a few.

My fortress, my stronghold: Here David uses vivid military terms describing a large permanent structure of exceptional security—protected on all sides. God was his strong tower.

My shield and the horn of my salvation: Horns in Scripture are a symbol of power and strength. Horn of salvation is a prophetic Messianic title for Jesus (Luke 1:68–69). The salvation Jesus offers through His work on the cross and His glorious resurrection is a sign of strength, power, and triumph.

My Savior, You save me from violence: Either directly or indirectly, King Saul attempted to end David’s life over ten times. Although we don’t have someone physically hunting us, trying to end our lives, we often grossly underestimate the spiritual enemy of our souls. He’s fierce and wicked, desiring to kill, steal, and destroy. Our enemy is far more terrible than King Saul. The Bible reminds us we’re not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).

We should stop and take some time to understand the violence we’re being saved from! The violence of hell. Satan wants us to spend eternity tortured. He fights day and night to convince us to forsake God and chase our own pleasures, our own path, and be our own god.

Let’s not be so distracted by the world that we forget we’re at war, Christian. And just like David, we can’t fight in our own strength. We need to call upon, worship, obey, and seek our Savior, our Messiah. Because He’s the only One who provides exceptional security and protects us on all sides.

Pause: Have you armed yourself in this spiritual battle we call life?

Practice: Meditate on 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (NKJV) today: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Pray: Dear heavenly Father, life is busy and vying for my attention. Help me to be sober-minded so I can arm myself in Your Word and Your truth to help me fight the battle that lies ahead. Lift my head from my device and let me see with spiritual eyes the ways You have protected me. You’re the mighty God, my protector, my deliverer, and my salvation. In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.