Equipped for Battle

My favorite stories and characters in Scripture are found in the narrative and historical documentation of David and his mighty men. I am often engrossed by David himself throughout the books of Samuel and Chronicles. He pre-figures Christ in the way he loves God and the way he saves Israel from its enemies yet we see his humanity and can identify with his weakness through his affair with Bathsheba and ensuing family pains. A couple days ago I found myself reading through 2 Samuel again mystified by the works and accomplishment of such a great king and the miraculous victories by his men. The stories themselves are such impossible feats of strength and will that only God can be credited for the victory of his men and his army. With that background in mind, in 2 Samuel 22 David writes a song of gratitude to God for his accomplishments through David and his mighty men. David recognizes the true source for this victory and recognizes that without the equipping and preparation by the Lord, failure would have been his only end.
Check this out:n2 Samuel 22:34-40:
“He made my feet like the feet of a deernand set me secure on the heights.nHe trains my hands for war,nso that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.nYou have given me the shield of your salvation,nand your gentleness made me great.nYou gave a wide place for my steps under me,nand my feet did not slip;nI pursued my enemies and destroyed them,nand did not turn back until they were consumed.nI consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise;nthey fell under my feet.nFor you equipped me with strength for the battle;nyou made those who rise against me sink under me.”
nIf you read the scripture you notice that all credit goes to the Lord. David uses “he” and “you” throughout making sure that God gets credit and glory for the battles He equipped David to win.
I read songs like this and know David’s heart and I am mystified as to how I could ever look at my own accomplishments or success and attribute that work to my own development of talent or personally created skill. If God equips and prepares and trains David to accomplish a task for His own glory. How can I believe that He has not done the same for me?
David knows who deserves the credit for his victory. Do I? Do we in 21st century Christianity? We know God to be as intimately involved in our lives today as He was in David’s then (Luke 12:17, Psalm 139:14) and therefore He is as intimately involved in our equipping. I read David’s song of gratitude and his posture toward the Lord and envy that perspective.
How can we look at our own lifting, Open results, PR Snatch, or our success as coach and immediately assume we were the cause? Did not the Lord give us that talent? Were we not created at this time with our potential skills? Sure God called us to develop them as He did David’s leadership skills BUT was He not the cause and the equipper?
Reading David’s words and song, I long for that perspective daily. I wish I looked at my own success with regular remembrance and thankfulness for God’s equipping.