Psalms 18
Psalms 18:1-50 (NLT)
1 For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the LORD. He sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. He sang: 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.
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.
7 Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of his anger.
8 Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from him.
9 He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.
10 Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.
11 He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dark rain clouds.
12 Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him and rained down hail and burning coals.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; great bolts of lightning flashed, and they were confused.
15 Then at your command, O LORD, at the blast of your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.
16 He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
18 They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the LORD supported me.
19 He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.
20 The LORD rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not turned from my God to follow evil.
22 I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees.
23 I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin.
24 The LORD rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence.
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.
26 To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
27 You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud.
28 You light a lamp for me. The LORD, my God, lights up my darkness.
29 In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.
30 God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
31 For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock?
32 God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect.
33 He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.
35 You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me; your help has made me great.
36 You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.
37 I chased my enemies and caught them; I did not stop until they were conquered.
38 I struck them down so they could not get up; they fell beneath my feet.
39 You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet.
40 You placed my foot on their necks. I have destroyed all who hated me.
41 They called for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the LORD, but he refused to answer.
42 I ground them as fine as dust in the wind. I swept them into the gutter like dirt.
43 You gave me victory over my accusers. You appointed me ruler over nations; people I don’t even know now serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me, they submit; foreign nations cringe before me.
45 They all lose their courage and come trembling from their strongholds.
46 The LORD lives! Praise to my Rock! May the God of my salvation be exalted!
47 He is the God who pays back those who harm me; he subdues the nations under me
48 and rescues me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents.
49 For this, O LORD, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.
50 You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed, to David and all his descendants forever.
It’s in perilous times, when enemies threaten and circumstances seem overwhelming, that the power and dominance of God’s forces come into view and are noticed like never before – for those who go to Him. God may not have actually been causing such a ruckus, but for David, His greatness was magnified and extremely overwhelming, exactly what it took for the trouble. His descriptions of God’s powerful movements continued to exalt His character and faithfulness.
David states later that other’s efforts to also go to God aren’t as effective as his. He is very confident that this is because of his faithfulness to God in innocence of conduct. He indicates that this has effected not just this moment of rescue but has enabled God to empower him as a warrior. The victories over enemies he declares to be a result of the actions he has himself taken. He chased them down and they were under his feet. This relationship with the heaven and earth shaking God has transformed David to be a very able partner in God’s defeating of his enemies. His confidence was peaked and praise was overflowing because of a lifestyle defined by the fear of God and it’s inevitable protection and blessing.
Though our confidence cannot be in our own conduct, there is much to draw on in boldly proclaiming our right standing with the Most High, the great I Am. When the reality of Jesus’ victory for us fills our mouths in declarations of God’s power in praises from a life that’s walking with Him, He impacts our identity, abilities, and destiny with evidence of His greatness. He is glorified with much more than just words, but a blessed and victorious life.