Victory

 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me! Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.

Psalm 71:1-6 (ESV)
 
David learned to be faithful to God. He had learned that he could not rescue himself, that his enemy was too great, and that his ability to defend was too small. David's stability in life did not come from his circumstances but His God.
 
Too often, we think the victories in this life belong to us when they belong exclusively to God. We, too, should thank Him.

It is good for us to declare the truth.

 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord, Selah to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies. Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!
Psalm 68:32 - 35 (ESV)
 
All power and glory belong to God. We should "ascribe" this fact. It seems so simple, so normal, to ascribe power and glory to ourselves, to proclaim our glory, and speak of our wonders. Ascribing glory to self is a waste of time and reduces any hope of clarity. Self-eclipsing God distorts reality and places our lives in a constant shadow.
 
It is good for us to declare the truth verbally. We need to hear it and say it, and the more we do that, the more likely we are to live within the truth. There is a danger in meaningless verbiage.
 

My Most Significant Accomplishment

 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

Psalm 67:1-3 (ESV)
 
Why do we want God to bless us? We should want God to bless us so that we might demonstrate His power, show His mercy, be visible examples of his grace, and so on. God's blessing is given to those who use it to bless God. Self-centered or focused individuals who crave God's blessing to be self-indulgent have missed out on the purpose of His blessing.
 
Ultimately, the most significant accomplishment in life will be knowing God and making Him known. All of life's efforts should be directed in that direction, or they are a waste of effort. This is hard to grasp in that we seem to have the consumer mentality when it comes to blessing rather than the "enricher" mentality. ("Enricher" is a made-up word meaning that we think of using our lives to enrich others.)

All who love give.

 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. Psalm 66:5 (ESV)

 
Those who have experienced God's mercy act as if they have experienced God's mercy. Those who stop and look around and think, for even a moment, understand the awesomeness of God and appreciate His mercy, grace, and intervention in mankind.
 
It is a pitiful person who has not seen or experienced what God has done and is doing. We cannot always blame someone for not seeing what God is doing in life's circumstances because we are often too close to them, and clarity is difficult.
 
We must often ponder, think, and meditate on God and His works on our behalf. We must take the time to enjoy God, or we will have lives of empty desperation in our continual search for significance, for none can be found apart from Him.
 
God loves and gives. All who love give. Gifts become meaningless when they are expected or when the one receiving them believes they deserve or have earned them. Perhaps that is why God's gifts are so often ignored.

Those who earnestly seek God find God.

 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

Psalm 63:1-7 (ESV)
 
Those who earnestly seek God find God. There is no other way. Hoping you run into Him is a nice thought, but it places all the responsibility on God. God can force encounters, but a forced encounter is not what you want.

God alone holds the keys to life and death,

 For God alone, my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. How long will all of you attack a man

to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Psalm 62:1-8 (ESV)
 
God alone holds the keys to life and death, provides significance and security, and can be trusted. It is good to wait in silence for Him, for He has never failed those who wait upon Him and trust in His steadfast love.
 

What does your soul trust?

 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts—the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

Psalm 57:1-5 (ESV)
 
In the shadow of God's wings, there is safety. Proximity matters. With whom is my life aligned? With whom am I taking counsel?
 
What does your soul trust? How do you know?
 
If I am aligned with God, living in close proximity to Him in my thoughts and actions, I will experience a refuge that is unlike any other, for there is none other available at this level.