Surrounded in Steadfast Love
“Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.” Psalm 32:10-11
For me there is nothing more comforting than wrapping up in a warm blanket by a fire. Being completely surrounded by the warmth of a blanket and watching the flames of the fire is so peaceful. Being fully engulfed in something much larger than me just feels so secure. Taking that blanket off and feeling the cold again is not the greatest feeling (am I right?). It’s like stepping out of a hot shower and the cold air immediately hits you.
If you know about the story of David you know that he was outside in the “cold” a lot and in some situations where the comfort and security of a blanket may have been quite nice. He faced giants and great despair – yet in this passage we read he is shouting for joy – he is surrounded by the greatest blanket of all – the love of the Lord.
What made David so secure though, even as he faced giant challenges, was that he remained under the protection of the Lord.
To be honest it can be completely terrifying to step out of our comfort zones and tackle new challenges. When presented with the option of staying under the blanket or stepping out into the cold, if we’re being totally honest, we would pick the warm blanket. We live in a world that is so content with staying under the blanket because the fear of failure or discomfort is too great.
But God does not call us to live this way – He didn’t say to David, “no it’s okay, you don’t actually have to face Goliath”, instead God comes alongside David to fight Goliath together.
My prayer is that we can all find comfort and confidence in this. We are not in this fight alone and those challenges, fears and cold that we are facing, we don’t face them alone – we have a great God who wants to surround us with His love and who in every situation is fighting for us and with us. Because of that, we can be glad and rejoice in the challenges that come. We never face them alone!