Psalm 144 — Hoping on a Blessing

A Psalm off David.

1 Blessed be the LORD my rock,
Which teacheth my hands to war,
And my fingers to fight:
2 My lovingkindness, and my fortress,
My high tower, and my deliverer;
My shield, and he in whom I trust;
Who subdueth my people under me.
3 LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that thou makest account of him?
4 Man is like to vanity:
His days are as a shadow that passeth away.
5 Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down:
Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 Cast forth lightning, and scatter them;
Send out thine arrows, and discomfit them.
7 Stretch forth thine hand from above;
Rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters,
Out of the hand of strangers;
8 Whose mouth speaketh vanity,
And their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 I will sing a new song unto thee, O God:
Upon a psaltery of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.
10 It is he that giveth salvation unto kings:
Who rescueth David his servant from the hurtful sword.
11 Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hand of strangers,
Whose mouth speaketh vanity,
And their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 When our sons shall be as plants grown up in their youth;
And our daughters as corner stones hewn after the fashion of a palace;
13 When our garners are full, affording all manner of store;
And our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields;
14 When our oxen are well laden;
When there is no breaking in, and no going forth,
And no outcry in our streets;
15 Happy is the people, that is in such a case:
Yea, happy is the people, whose God is the LORD.

The resounding cry of joy and blessed comfort, at the end of this psalm, can sound like one of so many dreams: lovely to consider, but foolish to hope for.

Yet, I think David wants us to hope in it anyways! He wants us to reach for a peace that is this high and this special. He wants us to reach by the great effort of trust and confidence described in the psalm.

We need to remember that David was made who he was by the power of God, not of his own power. So it is with us, today! We reach for this peace by the power of God.