Psalm 59:9, 10 
You are my strength, I watch for you;
you, God are my fortress,
my God on whom I can rely.
God will go before me
and will let me gloat over those who slander me. (NIV)

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I was praying the 23rd Psalm as I walked this morning. This is part of my normal routine. I was reminded of how King David regularly told God who he is. I think God knows, but that’s not the issue. The issue is that David knew and was reflecting that back to our Father in heaven. He was telling God how he had experienced his gracious hand in his life. 

He does the same thing here in this psalm and, as you’ll notice, in a lot of other psalms as well. The verses above tell us important truths about the nature and character of God. 

For example, David says, “You are my strength.” Every ounce of energy we have is a gift of God. Our intelligence is a gift of God. Our wisdom is a gift of God. Our tenacity is a gift of God. Our compassion, love, friendship, mercy, kindness, grace, etc., are gifts of God. 

When we stop to acknowledge this important truth that everything we are and all that we have has come to us by his gracious hand, well, that changes everything, doesn’t? It’s not about me. 

I didn’t decide to be born. I didn’t decide to have black hair, which has magically turned a brighter color now. I didn’t decide where I would live or what parents I would be born to. I could go on, but that gets to be a pretty long list of things I didn’t decide, right? 

Not only is God our strength, the source of our physical energy, our intellectual capacities, and so on, but David also says, “You are my fortress.” Anybody who wants a piece of me has to go through God. 

In the 23rd Psalm, David said it this way: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” 

There is no one bigger, stronger, or faster than our God. God has a weapon for everything that’s thrown at us. He’s not worried about anything. The next verse says, “He prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies.” A fairly new song says, “When it looks like I’m surrounded, I’m surrounded by you.” 

That’s what it means when David says, “You are my fortress.” 

Go back to the beginning of the 23rd Psalm and read it all the way through. You’ll notice that God goes before us. It says, “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” Verse 6 says: “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” Other translations change the word “follow” to “pursue.” We’ve never been anywhere God is not, and we never will be if we know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. 

God leads the way, guides us along the way, and pursues us as often as necessary. He never abandons us. He is our fortress. 

Psalm 59 next says that he is the God on whom we can rely. He is trustworthy and true. He’s never failed, never fallen short. And he never will. 

Verse 10 in Psalm 59 is actually pretty funny. It says, “God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me.” God always gets the last word. It’s a good word. It’s the right word. He tells the truth about us when others want to say otherwise. Aren’t you glad his is the final word? 

These two verses are good for our hearts and souls. This is particularly so on a Monday morning. This morning I heard about a couple of people I care about who are struggling with major diseases. I hope they will take these two verses to heart and find comfort in knowing God for who he is and what he does. 

So who do you say God is? What do you say to him about himself? Calling his nature and character to mind and speaking it aloud puts steel in our spines and confidence in our hearts. If you don’t know what words to say at this point, that’s okay. Borrow David’s from Psalm 59 and Psalm 23. Find others that you can use to declare God’s praise. This will ensure that you pray words of truth and life. 

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I will declare God’s nature and character in my prayers.

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Our Father, as King David says, you are my strength, and you are my fortress. You are dependable. You are trustworthy and true. Thank you for going before me and preparing the way. Thank you for going with me all along the way. Thank you for pursuing me all the days of my life. Thank you that you never abandon me. Amen.