This week I'll be spending time with Psalm 18. It's a longer Psalm so I've broken it up into five sections in order to try to wrap my head around the various messages. Psalm 18:1-5 sets the stage for the rest of the Psalm. David announces his faith in the Lord and God's worthiness to be praised. There is a lot of really neat imagery. Again and again David refers to God as a "fortress", a "stronghold," a "shield," a "rock," on which David bases his faith and salvation, and a place of refuge. More than a rock, God is a deliverer from the harm caused by David's enemies. The imagery of defense and refuge is part of the reason why the Psalms are so popular with so many. The Psalms remind us God is always there when we return to God's house.
This Psalm has a war theme as it tells of a time in David's life when he was hotly pursued by King Saul. There are times in our lives when we feel hotly pursued by all of the things which pull us away from God's love. Either we are fighting with ourselves and some sin which the Tempter knows will trip us up, or we are fighting to offer an appropriate response to the pride, jealousy and sinfulness of the World. Psalm 18's imagery depicting God as a safe refuge from all the brokenness in the world and within ourselves is a tremendous comfort when we, the prodigal, wander far from home.
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