“Sing to God, sing praises to his name: lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.” Psalms 68:4-5 ESV

May 4^th commemorates one year since my husband Josh went home to glory.  This past couple of weeks have been an emotional battle for our whole family.  The howling winds of change and the roars of fear threaten to take me down at times when I am left feeling utterly defeated.  In my cries for deliverance, the Lord has been answering prayer.  He has displayed His faithfulness, loving-kindness and steadfast love over and over again.  This has been the sweetest of victories!

In this Psalm written by David, likely after a battle, we hear a call to worship the Lord for the great way He delivers the weak and weary.  The Psalmists gives all the credit and glory to God.  He reveals it is He who gives victory to those who trust in Him.  We may find ourselves in confusing situations or dark circumstances where the enemy seems to triumph.   If we look to our own wisdom, hope seems far from grasp.  We might be out of recourses, friends or shields to meet challenging hurdles.  However, we can entrust ourselves to God Almighty to fight for us.  Truly, He is the only one fully empowered to do so.  Our battles are not against people, but against spiritual forces behind the scenes enticing us and others to sin.  “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12)  Therefore, God is the one who has the power to break through and bring about deliverance in our own battle against sin and the wrongs done against us.

The NASB translates the verse as “a judge for the widows”.  “Father and Judge seem to bear the general sense of defender, protector, vindicator; the first best expresses the pity and tenderness of God; the latter, his authority and ability to protect.  His holy habitation may mean either heaven, where God sits as Judge forever…” (William S, Plumer, Studies in the Book of Psalms)  A widow left without a man to defend or vindicate her when wronged is dependent on the mercy of others.  That may be where God wants us all to be in order to send us a stronger deliverer in Christ and depend not on ourselves or on man, but on Him and His church.  Recently, I had a leak and a plumber came to my house and charged me $75 and did nothing but tell me a part was missing so the insurance company would not be obligated to fix it.  Thankfully God sent a church friend’s husband, who’s a plumber, to fix the small issue which were misdiagnosed and write a letter to the company so I can get my money back.  The Lord is commander of the most powerful army in the universe and He sends help to the destitute that cling to Christ.  He sees every wrong done and executes justice from His holy habitation.

Heavenly Father, our deliverer, and defender– you are to be praised for you are our Savior! You are our stronghold and refuge!  Thank you for being our valiant warrior! Thank you for Jesus and proving in Him the ultimate sacrifice for our sin and winning the worlds greatest battle!  Our fight is not against people, but for people.  Lord, you saved us while we were dead in our trespasses and sins.  May you not only recuse us from our earthly battles but also give us a great awe and love for you and for our neighbor! Use us to send others deliverance and set captives free.  In Jesus’ name.