2 Samuel 22-24

We are near the end of David's reign and we read this great Psalm of praise written by David in celebration of his God whom he describes as his "rock, his fortress and hid deliverer."  David writes this song of praise out of his experiences with God.  Those experiences have led him to believe absolutely in God's sovereignty and of his omnipotence, his power and majesty and that he is always at work in and among his people who are called by his name.  Certainly we have read of many times when God delivered David.  He was delivered from Goliath, many times from the murderous jealousy of Saul, from the rebellion of Absalom and of others who rebelled and he was delivered from his own sin.  What would our song of praise be like if we sat down and reflected upon God's presence in our lives?  Would we be as effusive in our praise?  would we recognize God's power and presence working to save us from our own sin and from the evil of others? 

David speaks of his "mighty men" and in his praise of them we are reminded that none of us stand alone in our successes.  We are surrounded by people who assist us in our pursuit of God's ideal.  I think of our own little church and of all those who serve so faithfully in so many ways; of Joyce Austin and her kitchen crew serving meals to all comers at Logos, of Rachael Marchetti as she assembles and rehearses the wonderful music that the choir presents, of Bill Robb and his trustees who spent many, many hours caring for our building and grounds, of Mike Butler and his boys who come in the dark of winter to blade our parking lot and driveway, of Sharon Johnson and the children's church crew, of those who minister as Sunday school teachers, of our Opal and Chuck, and Skye and Kim and Amy and Cathy who insure that we have music each Sunday morning, volunteers who usher and greet and on and on and on.  We have way more than 30 mighty persons who make this a great place to worship and be a part of this great army of witnesses who are seeking to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the world.

And a final thought about this day's reading; as David goes to make an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (this is believed to be Mt. Moriah, the same place where Abraham offered Isaac to God, and later where Solomon builds the temple and where Jesus will one day teach and preach), Araunah offers to give David everything he needs to make a sacrifice, but David says no, "I will not make an offering that costs me nothing."  We need to remember that an offering that is not sacrificial is not an offering at all.  When we consider that every breath that we take is a gift from God it should make us much more expressive in our thanksgiving, much more generous in our effort to live for Christ, much more joyful our sharing of the blessings that we possess while we live on this earth in preparation for our eternity with God.