The Lord is My Stay

“He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.” (2 Sam. 22:18-20 KJV)

“Stay” means support in this verse. Only the KJV uses this archaic form of the word. In the Middle Ages, stays were used in corsets to hold everything in place. Also, when someone broke a limb, stays were used to brace or support the fractured appendage until it healed.

The Lord is MY STAY. I rely on his support. He holds everything in place. When I am broken, He acts as a brace—steadying the fractured parts until I am healed.   

The same verses in the Message translation:

“He pulled me out of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning. They hit me when I was down, but God stuck by me. He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved—surprised to be loved! God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him.