Water Breaks Out
David then went straight to Baal Perazim, and smashed [the Philistines] to pieces. Afterward David said, “God exploded on my enemies like a gush of water.” That’s why David named the place Baal Perazim (The-Master-Who-Explodes). ––2 Samuel 5:20-21, MSG
On some days, the weight of the world seems heavier than others. If you could build out an Excel sheet over the past thirty days, what percentage of those days would be in the “better days” column? (No right answer … just something to think about.)
Maybe it’s just how I’m wired, but when I wake up, the battle is at my door. I typically don’t wake up and instantly think, “This is going to be an awesome day, because I am God’s child and He loves me dearly.” I wish that’s how it was! But typically (not always, but usually), I have to fight to remember the truth of my position in Christ in those first few moments after opening my eyes. It’s kind of like waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and suddenly you feel like you are learning to walk all over again. Your feet don’t work, you kind of stumble around for a few steps. Like that, but with spiritual identity.
Why do darker hues seem to be the default colors on many mornings? The reality is, three forces are constantly working against us: the world, our own flesh, and the devil. So how now shall we live? David offers a vivid word picture as he speaks to the Lord:
David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?”
The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.”
So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.”
––2 Samuel 5:19-20
That’s both a prophetic picture and the seed of hope we are looking for, especially on the bad days. The upshot is that water always finds its way—it may take a day, a year, or a millennia, but the power of water is unmistakable. Did you know the average life expectancy (viability) of even the best-built dam or reservoir is about 100 years? In other words, for safety precautions, most nations rebuild (or completely refurbish) before the century mark. Water finds a way. It breaks out. (If you’ve ever tried to patch a water hose with duct tape, you get it.)
Rest assured that when you wake up on a dark day, there’s a force greater than your mood and stronger than your doubts. We, as God’s men, can trust in the God of David, the One who breaks out against our enemies of self-doubt, worry, and anxiety.
Father, I invite You to lift the sluice gates of living water in my life—let Your waters break through and flow over me today as I give You my worries and doubts.