Psalm 18 is rich and we’ll spend 2 days here. Psalm 18:1-6 show us David’s dependence upon God and how God always responds to those who love Him. Here it is in the New Living Translation:
I love you, Lord;
you are my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.
3 I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and he saved me from my enemies.
What does David know about God? He is the one who gives him strength, stability, salvation, protection, safety, and is totally worthy of praise!
4 The ropes of death entangled me;
floods of destruction swept over me.
5 The grave wrapped its ropes around me;
death laid a trap in my path.
6 But in my distress I cried out to the Lord;
yes, I prayed to my God for help.
He heard me from his sanctuary;
my cry to him reached his ears.
David continues and tells us God has untangled very difficult situations for him, kept him from natural disasters and mortal enemies, and God has heard his prayers. God is accessible to David as his cries reach up to the heavens.
Looking at David’s list of the things he knows about God, I ask myself do I know those things too? Through faith in Jesus, I have all of that and more, but am I realizing it in my life? Do I depend upon God for strength when times are hard or when I’m hurting? Is my faith in Jesus a stabilizing factor in my life? If not, how do I make it so? Colossians 2:6-7 tells us it is all dependent upon Christ, “ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Is Christ my savior? Have I done as Romans 10:9-10 says? “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Be assured it will work as verse 13 goes on to say, “ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Do I call on God for protection? Simple things like praying before I travel or during my travels, as I go to sleep at night, or as I’m are off to work. God can and will be with me 24/7 so do I acknowledge this and pray for protection? If disaster should come am I living assured that He will be there? How about prayer for difficult circumstances or problems? God can and will listen to my cries for help and the anguish of my soul. I may see his answer in ways of protection, healing, encouragement, comfort, uplifting, fellowship, etc. His answers are not always immediate but if it is in His will the answer will come. That calls for patience, and you can hear David’s anguish as he waits for God’s response. And yet, he does not lose hope as He knows the nature of God.
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know God and depend upon His character. Thank you Jesus for the knowledge of God’s faithfulness and His indwelling Holy Spirit that confirms these truths within my being. Romans 8:16 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Praise God!
Linda
Fearless Living 