The Lord preserved David

He also put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David's servants. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went. So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. – 2 Samuel 8.14-15

The Lord preserved David seems like a simple enough statement of a common fact – ‘and the Lord preserved David wherever he went’ and David reigned and administered justice.

When we read the psalms we often see David’s acknowledgement that God is with and carrying him through.

But I don’t think any psalm does a better job of talking about God’s preservation than the 23rd Psalm.

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.
Yea, 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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

What a wonderful reminder of God’s preserving power. I have no idea what tomorrow holds, none of us do. Circumstances may be good or bad. We may face joy or sadness.

But we can rest assured that the Great Shepherd will preserve us and carry us through. In another psalm David writes ‘the Lord will preserve my going out and my coming in.’ He knows all that is going on and He is right there with us.

Whenever I am tempted to despair, Lord, help me remember your preserving influence.