Psalm 18......

This morning I woke up and read Psalm 18. It truly spoke to me in an amazing way. I had gone to bed feeling irritated, borderline depressed, and not knowing why. Surprisingly I woke up with a passion to simply start praying for my dear friends. Praying for my family, and finally praying for myself. I did this as I got a glass of water, started waking myself up, then I grabbed my Bible. I went into the living room by the open window and just sat there praying while the intensely refreshing spring air came in from outdoors. It was so amazing. Finally I opened my Bible to the Psalm of the day. Mind you, it is a long one. :-)

18:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength.
18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
18:3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
18:4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
18:5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
18:7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
18:8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
18:9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
18:10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
18:11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.
18:12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
18:14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
18:15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
18:16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
18:17 He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
18:18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
18:19 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
18:20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
18:21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
18:22 For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.
18:23 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt.
18:24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
18:26 with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
18:27 For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
18:28 For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
18:29 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
18:30 This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
18:31 For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?--
18:32 the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.
18:33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
18:34 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
18:35 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.
18:36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.
18:37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed.
18:38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet.
18:39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.
18:40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
18:41 They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
18:42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
18:43 You delivered me from strife with the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
18:44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.
18:45 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses.
18:46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation--
18:47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me,
18:48 who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.
18:49 For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name.
18:50 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.

I simply find comfort and joy in these fifty verses. As the first verse says David prayed this Psalm after he was saved from the hands of Saul. He is rejoicing in the fact that God spared His life. But, the words are simply so powerful. I love using those words in my own personal prayer time, if I’m feeling weak. “You Lord are my rock and my fortress”. Isn’t it so true? God is our deliverer, our fortress; we can take refuge in His awesome mighty name. He will never let us down.

The entire section of how God came to David is also impacting. He came in darkness, flame coming from His mouth. He seemingly smothered David’s enemies in seconds. Destroyed them completely. This too touched me – “18:25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
18:26 with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
18:27 For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.”

God will watch over us, and be merciful to us, if we are merciful ourselves. He will be there for us in our time of need, if we have faith in Him. Faith like the grain of a mustered seed. We must have faith that moves mountains.

David was a warrior, he wasn’t any wimp of a guy. He was strong, powerful, brave, and a fearsome leader. When he says that God gave him strength to bend a bow of bronze? Yeah, wow, that’s pretty awesome. Then he goes on to tell how God allowed him to thrust down his enemies. But you see who is in it all? God. God is the definer of everything that David is doing. And that’s true! God is the proverbial boss over us. How many of us realize that we’re completely feckless when it comes to life? I surely don’t. I just don’t ever seem to get it. With life so utterly complicated there’s no way that we could possibly wield the power to control it. Why do you think we have God?

I hope and pray that what I have said has touched you in some special way today. May God bless you, and keep you.

-Your brother in Christ