Hope in the Psalms: Seeing Triumph Over Addiction in the Songs of DavidSample

One of the most important truths you can discover in recovery is that you absolutely, positively, one thousand percent cannot do it on your own.

You have to be part of a community that can cheer you on when you need it. And the best part is that YOU get to cheer OTHERS on when THEY need it.

This is the dynamic we see in Psalm 20:5:

“May we shout for joy over your victory and in the name of God set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.”

David is encouraging both HAVING a cheering section and being PART of one. It’s the nature of a community that you are there for one another through all the highs and lows, providing shoulders that can be cried on in defeat or that you can carry on in victory.

“Some take pride in chariots and some in horses,” writes David in Psalm 20:7, “but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.”

When we’re in community with one another, we know that it’s not the THINGS we have or the tools we use that carry us through the difficult times—it’s the love of Jesus. And one of the key ways we feel that love is through the love we feel from others—and give in return.

Are you in a community? Celebrate it. And if you aren’t, find a community to belong to, one that accepts you for all your flaws because the people in it know you belong to God first and foremost. And lift each other up—that’s what community is for!