Psalm 144:1-2Amplified Bible
Prayer for Rescue and Prosperity.
A Psalm of David.
144 Blessed be the Lord, my Rock and my great strength,
Who trains my hands for war
And my fingers for battle;
2
My [steadfast] lovingkindness and my fortress,
My high tower and my rescuer,
My shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people under me.
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
Do you ever feel like you’re in the middle of a war?
The Christian life isn’t always a warm and fuzzy experience.
Sometimes we find ourselves on an actual battlefield in the mist of an actual war either fighting to stay alive against an enemy who desires nothing more than to take away our life or trying to help the local populace as they fight it as they also struggle mightily just to survive and live their everyday lives within it.
My own father and my wife’s father both fought in the killing fields of Korea.
More contemporary – we think of the long conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan which which lasted twenty years, just concluded approximately 2 years ago.
More contemporary – we think of the ongoing War in the country of Ukraine.
In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons. Herodotus
War does not determine who is right – only who is left. Bertrand Russell
Only the dead have seen the end of the war. George Santayana
I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. Albert Einstein
The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. Norman Schwarzkopf
The two most powerful warriors on earth are patience and time. Leo Tolstoy
The most powerful, only undefeated warrior of all time is Almighty God.
The most vulnerable warriors of all time is by far – All of Mankind who bears the brunt of the war, the widows, the orphans who are inevitable left behind.
But even in peace there are always the sounds of battle and of great wars ….
Sometimes we find ourselves in a spiritual battle.
It’s easy to feel vulnerable and exposed at times like these.
We must remember, however, we are not fighting these battles in our own strength.
God offers unshakable security for his people – Psalm 46, 61, 62, Psalm 121.
In faith, and in war we struggle to grasp the tremendous contrast between God’s almighty power and the weakness of even the mightiest of warriors.
Micah 6:6-8ESV
What Does the Lord Require?
6 “With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with[a] thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,[b]
and to walk humbly with your God?
While we are cognizant of the dangers and deceits and vulnerabilities of our human flesh and of this world, we are far more impressed by the power of God.
Then, we respond with gratefulness as we pray and think of all those abundant blessings that come to families who are covenanted to God, the Father an God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and are purged from the influences of the world.
What a joy to see children walking in the indomitable strength of God’s truth!
What more blessed state can there be in this world than to witness generations of children and grandchildren faithfully fighting injustice and serving the Lord?
To hear the beloved children of God singing and chanting for all nations to hear:
Psalm 144:1-2 ESV
My Rock and My Fortress
Of David.
144 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples[a] under me.
God’s Boot Camp
In Psalm 144:1-2, King David praised the Lord, recognizing that it was God who had enabled him to win the victory over his enemies.
Moreover, the Lord had taught him how to fight and protected him in battle.
David used similar language in Psalm 18:
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety … He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow. (Psalm 18:2, 34, (NLT)
Psalm 18:2,34 NLT
What does God’s boot camp entail?
How does he train us for war?
The term “trains” here refers to an exercise in learning.
Consider this nugget of truth from the passage: you may not know why you’re in a battle, but you can be absolutely sure God wants to teach you something.
He’s walking you through an exercise in learning.
God’s boot camp involves teaching us to depend on him.
If we never faced a battle, we’d never learn to lean on God for strength and protection.
What does Psalm 144 seek to teach us?
Verses 1-2
This psalm brings together war and peace—the complete destruction of God’s enemies and the absolute protection of all of God’s people—at the same time.
Biblically, these are not unusual themes, especially when we look at the history of redemption. At the Red Sea, there is both the destruction of God’s enemies and the preservation of God’s people. The same thing can be said for Noah’s ark and the worldwide flood. These are pictures of God’s redemption for the church.
This psalm introduces David as the great warrior whom God has taught to fight.
Battle language is not unusual for God’s men.
Towards the end of his life, the Apostle Paul claimed that he had “fought a good fight for the faith (2 Timothy 4:6-8).”
While it is true that God fights for us, He also teaches us to fight.
We learn that our weaponry is not carnal (2 Corinthians 10:1-6),
Paul Defends His Ministry
10 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
and our enemy is not flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:10-12).
Put on The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Between here and heaven, there is a battle to wage. Every Christian must face his Goliath in the Valley of Elah, and Apollyon in the Valley of the Humiliation.
Our enemies are demonic powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness that hyper-dominates in powerful institutions of men.
We can only battle in the power of His might, in the strength that He gives us.
If we attempt to take on these terrifying enemies in our own strength, we will most certainly be decimated.
Any believer who has attempted it can testify to that.
Psalm 144:2 Common English Bible
2 God is my loyal one, my fortress,
my place of safety, my rescuer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
and the one who subdues people before me.
Although David is thankful for his God given ability to fight Israel’s battles, his focus is almost (he is human) exclusively upon God’s defense and intervention.
Therefore, he refers to God as his only strength, fortress, high tower, shield, and deliverer – (see also Psalm 18:1-3, Psalm 46, Psalms 61 and 62).
From the exact and exacting moment we put our full and complete faith in God for our redemption and our . salvation, we are to depend on him for everything:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5–6, ESV)
Spiritual battles teach us to pray:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7, NIV)
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
The Lord Is Your Rock
Don’t let the battle shake you from your firm foundation in Jesus Christ.
God wants to teach us that Jesus is our rock.
The Hebrew word for “rock” used here is tsur.
It highlights the stability and protection that God supplies whenever we are in the battle.
God’s got us solidly covered.
He won’t hesitate or weaken from one day to the next.
The word translated as “fortress” in the original language means “a fortified defensive structure.”
As our stronghold, God surrounds us like a heavily armed and fortified military camp.
Nothing harmful can get through the high-walled fortress that God has built around us.
The Lord is loving, kind, and loyal; he will provide a fortress for us in the storms of life. He is our high tower, our deliverer, our shield, and our refuge.
God promises that he is the one who will subdue our enemies.
The battle cannot be fought and won using flesh and blood weapons:
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4, ESV)
For we are 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, NLT)
In Ephesians 6:10-18, the Apostle Paul outlines a six-piece set of armor, our spiritual defense against the enemy of our souls. The armor of God may be invisible, but it’s just as real as military equipment. When we use it properly and wear it daily, it provides rock solid protection against the enemy’s onslaught.
Let God train your hands for war and you will be supernaturally equipped with the only firepower needed against Satan’s attacks.
And remember, God is your protection and shield.
Bless him and praise him! You don’t have to fight the battle alone.
Because all battles and all wars belong exclusively unto the Lord, our God!
It is God who goes before us – He who created the heavens and the earth!
It is into God’s hands unto which we are grateful for those who fought for us:
To care for Him who hath borne the brunt of battle, for his widow, his orphan.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Dear Lord, Today we honor our veterans, worthy men and women who gave their best when they were called upon to serve and protect their country. We pray that you will bless them for their unselfish service in the continual struggle to preserve our freedoms, our safety, and our country’s heritage, for all of us. Lord God, Almighty Father, creator of mankind and author of peace, as we are ever mindful of the cost paid for the liberty we possess, we ask you to bless the members of our armed forces. Give them courage, hope and strength. May they ever experience your firm support, gentle love and compassionate healing. Be their power and protector, leading them from darkness to light. To you be all glory, honor and praise, now and forever. Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 