Metaphors
 
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"The single most characteristic thing about David is his relationship to God. ...The evidence for David's pervasive, saturated awareness of God is in his profusion of metaphor: rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield, horn of salvation, stronghold, savior. David is immersed in God. Every visibility reveals an invisibility. David names God by metaphor." (E. Peterson, First and Second Samuel: 248; emphasis added)

"The LORD is my..."? What? What is God to you? Who is God? "My shepherd"? "My rock"? "My shield"? Hardly images taken from my life or yours.

What metaphors from our lives can help us know God more intimately, more personally?

David's world was suffused with God. Everything spoke to David about God. Everywhere, David saw God. Perhaps my relationship with God is weaker than I thought. My awareness of God is thin and fleeting. My appreciation for God's attributes is small. My attention to God in His world is shallow.

Here's a challenge for this week:describe God with metaphors borrowed from the stuff of your life. 

Example: David hid in the mountains so he knew God as "my rock." As a parent of three, one of my favorite times of day is when my head hits the pillow: "the Lord is my pillow, He puts me at ease." Or, "Your Word is like coffee to my soul, giving me sight and charging my mind." 

(It won't do to say, "this is not treating God as holy!" for we have David's own example, put forward by the Spirit for us to imitate. And let's be honest: it is not treating God as overly-holy that is our danger, but living our lives almost without reference to Him.)
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