Psalm 18:1-2 (NIV)
1 I love you, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
February has begun. The month the Hallmark Company has determined for all of us to be the month of Valentine’s Day, or the month everyone is supposed to express their undying love for another. Hallmark hopes it will be with cards, of course.
This Psalm was written by King David toward the end of his reign and the end of his life. Even though David is king, and that is one of the greatest honors within the kingdom, David knows that he is king only because God anointed him for that service.
I love you, LORD, my strength. Other versions add in the word “will” – I will love you, LORD, my strength. That gives these words more of a permanent, future outlook rather than a fleeting thought.
David has been through a lot in his life. He has made some pretty major moral mistakes. He has not always obeyed God. Yet God refers to David as a man after his own heart. Listen to all the ways David describes Father in verse 2:
Strength.
Rock.
Fortress.
Deliverer.
Rock – a second time.
Refuge.
Shield.
Horn.
Salvation.
Stronghold.
I don't know about you, but this list causes my heart to beat a little faster, a smile come to my lips, and my heart feel the joy, joy, joy down deep. Stop. Go back. Read the list again. One word at a time. Give each word a bit of attitude as you read it.
The world around us is uncertain in many ways. I can get pretty anxious trying to control things I have no control over. Even in the best of times I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
I would challenge you to take the words King David used to describe his God and add to the list your own words of praise and thanksgiving. Take those words and put them together into your own words of praise and state them every morning as you wake up.
The last verse of Psalm 18 is a summary for those who can give praise and thanksgiving to God no matter their circumstances. Give Him thanks the same way as you walk into the doctor office as when you walk out. Give Him praise the same way the day you lose your job as you did when you received full employment. Fill your heart with love for God’s strength the same way you did when life was filled with happiness when you experience the consequences of a bad decision.
Verse 50 speaks of the great victories you receive when you walk in His ways and accept His unfailing love. YOU are one of God’s anointed. You are a royal heir. Walk in His ways as a son or daughter of royalty.
50 He gives his king great victories;
He shows unfailing love to his anointed,
to David and to his descendants forever.
-- Pastor Steve
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