Our identity affects everything we do in life. I remember being afraid of asking certain popular girls on a date because of low self-esteem and fearing they would say no. For a long time, I hesitated taking risks because I wasn’t confident in the outcome. All of us face times when we need that anchor to embrace the purposes God has designed for us.
Because God was His rock and foundation to his life, David called all out to Him even when He seemed silent and unavailable. He became entirely dependent on God’s strength and assistance in the midst of evil (Ps. 28:1-3).
Like David, why can you trust God to answer your prayers and rescue you from danger and evil?
Reading the newspapers and from experience, you know evil is an objective fact. Terrorists seek to destroy the US. The designers of computer viruses wipe out peoples’ hard drives. Scam artists make money at the expense of innocent people, especially the elderly. The Psalmist sought justice because of evil’s unfairness.
Description of Wrong Identity
There’s also a subtle side to evil: emptiness leading to idolatry and the wrong identity. Some people enjoy making life harder for themselves because they face unnecessary misfortunes as a consequence of sin. Without discernment between good and evil, God will destroy them rather than build them up (Ps. 28:4-5).
Transition to Right Identity
If God is your rock and foundation, you know He hears and desires to answer your prayers. As a result, you trust and exalt in Him by offering thanksgiving (Ps. 28:6-7). Why does the Lord stoop down to be your strength and salvation (Ps. 28:8)?
Description of Right Identity
As believers in Christ, you have a high position as His anointed, literally “God’s priest and king.” What are the implications being God’s priest and king?
Benefits of Right Identity
Rather than cramped or oppressive lives, God saves you to be free within His boundaries. For example, a train is most free when it runs along a track, not when it becomes derailed. Similarly, God delivers you from distress, trouble and affliction so you can feel safe and secure. The personal name of our Saviour, Jesus, derives from the same root of salvation. In other words, God is not only concerned about spiritual salvation or deliverance from sin, but seeks your physical and emotional well-being. He saves you from harm of any kind. It’s God’s love in action (Ps. 28:9).
As an added bonus, God offers both a physical and spiritual inheritance with temporal and eternal ramifications. The last phrase, “Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever” describes what this inheritance looks like. As a personal shepherd, He provides for your needs, protects you from spiritual enemies, guides you into His purpose, and offers His presence in all the varied circumstances of life (Ps. 23).
Meditate on I Peter 2:9 that summarizes this passage since you are a chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation and people for God’s own possession. What are the implications for your life?
