I Command Thee

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. – Psalm 18:2-3

Notice these personal and possessive words of strength used by King David to describe the LORD in this Psalm: my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, the one who saves us from my enemies.  What boldness. What assurance. What confidence. What power is available to us when we call upon the LORD to save us.

It was a sense of being in the center of God’s will that gave Martin Luther his great boldness in prayer. In 1540 Luther’s great friend and assistant, Friedrich Myconius, became sick and was expected to die within a short time. On his bed he wrote a loving farewell note to Luther with a trembling hand. Luther received the letter and instantly sent back a reply:

“I command thee in the name of God to live because I will have need of thee in the work of reforming the church . . . The Lord will never let me hear that thou art dead, but will permit thee to survive me. For this I am praying, this is my will, and may my will be done, because I seek only to glorify the name of God.”

The words are almost shocking to us, as we live in a more sensitive and cautious day, but they were certainly from God. For although Myconius had already lost the ability to speak when Luther’s letter came, in a short time he revived. He recovered completely, and he lived six more years to survive Luther himself by two months.*

Now do you believe God can do something like that in your life? Do you believe that the One who is called the Rock, the fortress, the deliverer, our shield, the horn of salvation, our stronghold and the One who saves us from our enemies, will do so for you? For me?

Of course He will. So let’s ask Him today in boldness to do just that, whatever the need. Maranatha!