Almost Missed It......

Recently I was preaching from Psalm 144……."Praise the LORD, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle. {2} He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield and I take refuge in him…….." (NLT)

In preparing my notes……I was so excited about addressing God as my rock and noting that it is God who trains us and it is God who gives us the skill we need for the warfare we face. I was also excited about God as my "loving ally" and my fortress, my tower of safety and my rescuer. I wanted to make sure that I painted an accurate picture of what these things were and how God wanted to be those things in our life that I almost missed it.

Even though God has clearly spoken to me about three weeks prior to this preaching time and told me this passage contained a prophetic word for the church I was working with at the time……..I still didn't see it.

It wasn't in my notes. It really hadn't entered my thoughts during the time of preparation. But included in my time of preparation is always a prayer that God would prepared my heart for the time of preaching. If I have all the points, understand the meaning and have great illustrations to bring things to life but don't have a heart that is right…….I might as well just stay seated. I would rank up there with the clanging gong that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 13.

But I still almost missed it…….right up to the time I started speaking. And while I'm speaking, the Holy Spirit is speaking………to me. And He points it out.

The most important thing about the battle is not my training, or the skill God gives…..it's not found in the six things listed in verse 2…….it's found in verse 1. It's the first three words of verse 1……"Praise the LORD!." It was an act of worship. It was a proclamation that even though there is a battle raging my spirit man says, "Praise the LORD!."

As I was speaking the Holy Spirit drew me to the time in Exodus where God gives the commandments….Exodus 20. Take note of what is said there….." I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me." (NLT)

David's first act was to worship. I wonder what would have happened if his first act had been to lament about the battle…..or express concern over his lack of training and skill…….or to ask God where He was……..or to wonder if God had God stopped loving him……I wonder what would have happened. As it was he worshipped first……."Praise the LORD……….who is my rock." He provided a good pattern for us. Perhaps the answers are not always in the training or learned skills but in worship. Or better yet…….the answer is in worship and in allowing God, our rock, to train our hands, skill our fingers, be our ally, our fortress, our tower of safety, our rescuer and our refuge. No wonder the first words out of his mouth were "PRAISE THE LORD!"

And to think……I almost missed this. Thank you LORD for your Holy Spirit who reveals all truth. PRAISE THE LORD!

Always in Pursuit!