Psalm 18: Day 2

Psalm 18: Day 2 of our 10-day devotional journey through the Psalms, you'll gain fresh insights and spiritual strength each morning.  This series encourages you to offer your shortcomings to God, trusting in His ability to turn them into sources of strength and glory. Whether you're a morning go-getter or a lover of the snooze button, these reflections aim to imbue your day with peace and purpose found in His Word. Join us for an enriching experience that promises to renew your spirit and ignite your faith.

Transcript

Julie: 0:19

Kia ora, and welcome to Whispers of Grace, a place for women to be encouraged by God's holy word. I'm your host, julie Colbeth, and I am overjoyed to dig into the Bible with you today. Good morning, friends. Today we are going to read through Psalm 18, which is a Psalm of David. It's one that he wrote when he had been delivered from all of his enemies, and it's actually one of the longest Psalms in the Bible. That is how much praise had filled his heart for God. This one is specifically made for God, to worship him, to praise him. I actually counted 109 references to God himself in this psalm, so I'm going to read you a couple of sections of it because it's so long. So I'm going to read 18, 1 through 6, 28 through 36, and 46 through 50.

Julie: 1:19

I will love you, o Lord, my strength, the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved from my enemies. The pangs of death surround me and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. So shall I be saved from my enemies, for you will light my lamp. The Lord, my God, will enlighten my darkness, for by you I can run against a troop. By my God, I can leap over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect. The word of the Lord is proven. He is a shield to all who trust in him. For who is God except the Lord, and who is a rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like feet of a deer and sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand has held me up. Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me so that my feet did not slip. The Lord lives Blessed. Be my rock. The Lord lives Blessed. Be my rock. Let the God of my salvation be exalted. It is God who avenges me and subdues the people under me. He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me. You have delivered me from the violent man. Therefore, I will give thanks to you, o Lord, among the Gentiles and sing praises to your name. Great deliverance he gives to his king and shows mercy to his anointed and to David and his descendants forevermore.

Julie: 3:46

In this psalm, david is so focused on the Lord. He knows in his bones that God is his deliverer, that God has been his strength and his shield and his salvation and his rock and his stronghold, the only place that he can go to be safe. David also knows that God will light his lamp, enlighten his darkness, that God will arm David with strength and strengthen his arms for war, that God will uphold him and he will enlarge his path. These are the works of God in his life, not by the strength of his own arm, not by the strength of his own heart, but only through the Lord. Now David understand this because he lived almost 20 years as a fugitive. He was running from Saul all over the nation and even into foreign nations. So he knew what it was to be in danger for a long time. He lost his safety, he lost his family, he lost his career, david lost his rights and he lost so many of his comforts. And yet in this Psalm he worships God with his whole heart, even though he had faced calamity and difficulty and loss.

Julie: 5:17

Today, I want you to know that God is with you. God is with you in your wandering, he sees you in your sorrows, he sees your need and he knows your fears. You may not understand your situation. You may feel like you are wandering all over the hillside, your loss might seem overwhelming and you may not see a way out. But God sees you. I will love you. O Lord, my strength, the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength, and whom I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved from my enemies, even when things seem to be closing in around us. I think of what Peter said to the Lord where can we go? You have the words of life. Even when we don't understand, when we're beyond our depth. God is good and he was powerful and strong, and in him we will trust.