HANDS TRAINED FOR VICTORY (2)

“Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who TRAINS MY HANDS for WAR, and my FINGERS for BATTLE” – Psalm 144:1

The Lord of Hosts is our Boot Camp Master Trainer – Maker of HANDS TRAINED for VICTORY: “Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who TRAINS MY HANDS for war, and my FINGERS for BATTLE” (Psa.144:1). David, the victorious warrior king, obviously wrote this psalm in relationship to his ability as a fighter – fighting battles with surrounding nations and peoples. He understood that it was God who equipped and trained him to successfully fight in these battles. From the bears and lions of his youth, to the Philistine champion Goliath, to leading armies into battle, God had strengthened and empowered David. In God’s Mighty Hand, we can be groomed for global and eternal Impact!

King David praised the Lord, recognizing that it was God who had given him the victory over his enemies (vv.1-2). Moreover, the Lord had taught him how to fight and protected him in battle. The term “trains” refers to an exercise in learning. God's boot camp involves teaching us to depend on Him. If we never faced a battle, we'd never learn to lean on God for strength and protection. From the moment we put our Faith in God for salvation, we’re to depend on him for everything: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Pro. 3:5–6).

When God appeared to Moses and assigned him the task of telling the Israelites that He would deliver them from Egypt, he felt inadequate (Exo.3:16-17). He presented his presumed limitations: “O my Lord, I am not eloquent…but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Exo.4:10). But God overcame these inadequacies with His sufficiency: “Now therefore, go; and I will be with your mouth and TEACH you what you shall say” (Exo.4:12). When we feel we have nothing to offer, we can easily dismiss ourselves as being of little use to God. But God will be our Fortress, high Tower, Deliverer, and Refuge, where we can rest securely (v.2). Even while battling the enemy, we can be sure of safety in His protecting arms, until the end (2Tim.1:12).

Like David, we can offer thanks to God, who trains our hands for the battles that we’re engaged in. God takes us as we are; then trains us to do what He calls us to do. Most believers today are not engaged in David’s physical kind of conflict. Ephesians 6:10-17 paints a picture of the spiritual battle that believers are involved in and our full Armor of Warfare. The Armor of God may be invisible, but it's just as real as military equipment. When we use it properly and wear it daily, it provides solid protection against the enemy's onslaught. While we may not directly see the enemy combatants, they are there none-the-less! God gives us equipment to effectively stand our ground in the fight and overcome all enemies!

We must not let the battle shake us from our firm foundation in Jesus Christ. God wants to teach us that Jesus is our Rock. This highlights the stability and protection that God supplies us in the battle. He has us solidly covered. The word translated as “fortress” means "a fortified defensive structure." As our stronghold, God surrounds us like a heavily armed and fortified military camp. Nothing harmful can get through the high-walled fortress that God has built around us. The Lord is loving, kind, and loyal; He will provide a fortress for us in the storms of life. He is our high Tower, Deliverer, Shield, and Refuge. God promises to subdue our enemies. The battle cannot be fought and won using flesh and blood weapons, but supernatural weapons with “divine power to destroy strongholds” (2Cor.10:4).

When we let God train our hands for war, we’ll be supernaturally equipped for Victory, and be able to ultimately declare: “Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” (v.15).