Remembering our times of victory

We’re taking a brief jump to Psalm 108, basically because it’s a combination of Psalms 57 and 60.

Verses 1-5 come from the latter part of Psalm 57 while verses 6-13 come from the latter part of Psalm 60.

Whether it was meant to be a medley of the two psalms or David created new music for the combination of the two, I don’t know.  One wonders though why he would do this.

I have two guesses.

One is that it was written at the same time as Psalm 60 after Israel’s defeat at the hands of their enemy.  And perhaps, David was recalling his time when Saul had him trapped in the cave and God delivered him.

So as he was struggling with doubt and despair after defeat, he turned his thoughts to the time at the cave, and was basically saying to himself, “Don’t get discouraged by this defeat.  Look at what God did for me in the past.  If he delivered me before, he’ll deliver me now.”

The other possibility is that it was written after both incidences.  And now looking back on both, David was singing a psalm of praise to God for all that he had done for him.

Whatever the case may be, I think it’s important that like David, we remember our times of victory.  That in times of trouble, we recall how God delivered us in the past.

And that after times of deliverance, we remember to thank God for what he’s done.

Why?

Hope.

Remembering these things give us hope for the future when things look grim.

Without hope, it’s hard to go on when we face trials in our lives.

But with hope, we can face anything that comes against us, knowing that God’s on our our side and that he will help us.

What victories have you had in your life?  Take the time to write them down.  Write down the times God has answered prayer.  Write down the times God has delivered you.  Praise him for it.

By doing so, when you face trials in your life, you’ll find them easier to bear.