August 4, Source of Strength

Today’s reading: Psalms 16-20

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” - Psalm 20:7.

David was a warrior king, renowned for his military prowess. Yet he learned not to trust in his own strength, experience, or gifting, but rather to trust in the name of the Lord. On once occasion, the Philistines attacked and David asked the Lord what he should do. The Lord replied, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands” (2 Samuel 5:19b). The Philistines would not go away even after their defeat, and David could have assumed he was to attack them again in the same way as before. Instead, he trusted the Lord and asked again. This time the Lord advised,

“Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army” (2 Samuel 5:23-24).

Are you relying on your own strength or God’s? Are you seeking the Lord, even though you “know” how to do that for which you are asking guidance?