God is My Salvation

In my time with the Lord this morning, I was reading from Psalm 35:1-3, which says:

"Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.'"

Although the psalmist is speaking specifically about being on the raw end of persecution, rather than suffering an illness, my prayer is in many ways similar to his: "Contend on my behalf, Lord. Take up Your shield and buckler, and go to war. Arise and come to my aid. Brandish Your spear and javelin against this illness. And most of all, say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.'"

That last part is what really struck me. The Lord doesn't just say, "I will save you." Nor does he even say, "I will show you my salvation." He says to my soul: "I am your salvation."

This is, I believe, one of the most important lessons to learn in a situation like this. God is not merely my Healer (the one who performs the act of healing), He is my healing (the personification of that healing)! He is not merely my Saviour (the One who performs the act of salvation), He is my salvation (the personification of that salvation)!

The Lord often speaks this way, personifying Himself as the very answer we seek. For example, Exodus 15:2 says:

"The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."

Do you notice that God Himself is personified as "my strength and song"? He Himself has "become my salvation." This scripture is, in fact, the record of the song sung by the people of Israel after they had passed through the Red Sea. They recognised that God had not merely delivered them from Egypt, He Himself had become their deliverance personified.

Again, Psalm 27:1 says:

"The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?"

Here we see again the Lord described not only as "my light and my salvation", but also as "the stronghold of my life" and the result of this experience of the Lord as salvation personifed is: "whom shall I fear?" (note also Hebrews 13:5).

In the New Testament, too, the Lord Jesus doesn't just say, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). In John 14:6, He says, "I am...the life". And in John 11:25, Jesus said:

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies..."

This is the simple revelation I had this morning. Nothing spectacular, but life-transforming all the same. Jesus is my life. He is not just the giver of life, He is my life itself. Even as I write this, my mind immediately is drawn to Colossians 3:1-4, which says:

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

The end result of all of this is that the focus is on the Lord, not on me. And so I guess I'll finish up with the last two verse in Psalm 35:

"May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, "The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.' My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long."