Day 1086: The God we adore - Psalm 18 vs 1 - 17

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.

1-3 I love you, O Lord, my strength. 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. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 4-5 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. 6 From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.

7-10 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. 11-13 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds. 14 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them. 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.

16-17 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. Psalm 18:1-17 English Standard Version

The opening explanation of a Psalm gives us insight into the heart of the writer. So we're told here that David “addressed this Psalm to the Lord” when He had rescued David from all his enemies - and from the hand of Saul. David's struggles with Saul had been long and he'd had many battles since, so this Psalm was a summary of his life. On many occasions he'd felt as if death was staring him in the face. Yet notice how he begins the Psalm with praise to the One who is his strength, his fortress, his rock and his shield. And what was God response to Davids cry? (vs 6)

God always heard his cry of distress. And surely this is the Christian's hope as well. The apostle Paul wrote to believers at Corinth: “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - their Lord and ours:” (1 Corinthians 1:2)

David’s description in verses 7-15 of God's deliverance could well reflect a storm, as he speaks of the earth shaking, and of the Lord sending flashes of lightning. But he could also be using Old Testament terminology to tell of God coming to his aid. It's reminiscent of God coming down on Mt Sinai after he rescued His people from Egypt.

In our daily life, we’ve not been in such danger as David was. Nor has our life been on the line as was the case of Christ's apostles. We've not been called to lead armies into battle. Yet the same God is on our side. He is the God who sent from on high, who took David, and drew him out of many waters and rescued him from his strong enemy, from those who hated him and were too mighty for him. As John Wesley put it: “This, this is the God we adore, our faithful unchangeable friend; whose love is as great as His power – and neither knows measure nor end! ‘Tis Jesus, the first and the last, whose Spirit shall guide us safe home. We’ll praise Him for all that is past, and trust Him for all that’s to come.”