David authored many of the psalms in the Bible. In his writings he captured the good, the bad and the ugly. While celebrating his victories he also illustrated his weakest moments. I find this kind of transparency pretty remarkable.

Mountaintops or valleys, David shared everything with the Lord. Psalm 18 represents one of his mountaintop moments. A footnote of this particular psalm paints the picture:

“He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.”

Previously, David’s continued success in battle had aroused much interest. He was the talk of the town. Unfortunately King Saul felt threatened by his growing popularity and planned to kill him, but David got wind of the situation and escaped. Eventually, both Saul and his son Jonathan were killed in battle and David was elected the new king of Israel.

God is everything to us and we need Him every hour – whether we are aware or unaware. David relied on the Lord when he was in a very vulnerable position. As a refugee he needed protection from his enemies, deliverance in battle and a Rock to hold on to. As a king he needed God’s wisdom and guidance. He knew that all he had was a gift from the Lord. Without Him he wouldn’t be where he was. So David turned his gratitude into prayer (Psalm 18:2):

“My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Our victories are the result of God’s faithfulness. It is good to keep that in mind and never stop counting our blessings. Gratitude is humility’s sister and opens our eyes to the wonders of God’s love.