Psalms 18:1-2
"I love you, oh 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."
What grabbed my attention when I read this verse was that David was expressing his love to God. He said "I love you" as if talking to him face to face. How often do I just sit in the presence of the Lord and tell him I love him? Do my actions tell him I love him? This week, we told the children that God loves them and challenged them to think of ways that they see God's love everyday. He provides food for me, he provides a house for me to live in and a bed to sleep in at night. He has given me clothing to wear and all sorts of other physical needs. He has also given me promise after promise in the Bible that I can find peace and comfort in. He forgives every one of my sins and doesn't abandon me even though I mess up time and time again. He promises to never leave or forsake us, he promises to come back for us who believe someday, he promises hear and answer every prayer. What an amazing God we serve!
David also takes the time to recognize God for some of the qualities that he has. Rock, fortress, deliverer, place of refuge, shield, and stronghold. When I read through this list, I could not help but think of the armor God that Paul mentions in Ephesians. The shield of faith, breast plate of righteousness, the sword of the spirit, the belt of truth, the helmet of salvation, and the shoes of the Gospel of peace. The armor that we put on everyday will protect us spiritually and everyone of them is from God. Your shield is your faith in God and your breastplate is righteousness which comes through faith. Your sword is the Holy Spirit that is living in each of us who believe and what holds everything together is the truth we can read about in the Bible. Everything comes back to God.
David recognizes God as his rock. I think of the hymn that says "on Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand". If I but my hope in anything I this world it will leave me unfulfilled and empty. If I put my hope on Christ and depend fully on God, I will stand firm even through the hardest of times because he is my rock, he is solid and unchanging. I love the image of God being my rock. I think of an extremely large rock that man is unable to destroy. I think of a rock that man is unable to touch me when I am standing on. Am I daily standing on the Rock? Am I putting all my hope and trust in God? Am I standing firm or am I sinking? I know some days if feel like I'm sinking but as soon as I ask the Lord for help and depend on him, he pulls me up and helps me to stand again. I think of the wrestler that had the name "the rock". It makes me think of when I was in high school and the beginning of my college days. I was dependent on being in a relationship and feeling loved by a guy. That's when I started sinking. I made people my rock and tried "standing" on them instead of standing on the true Rock who will never move or change. Don't put your hope in things of this world because they will surely fail you and let you down. Rather put your trust in God and daily stand firm on his promises and the truth that is in the Bible.
"I love you, oh 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."
What grabbed my attention when I read this verse was that David was expressing his love to God. He said "I love you" as if talking to him face to face. How often do I just sit in the presence of the Lord and tell him I love him? Do my actions tell him I love him? This week, we told the children that God loves them and challenged them to think of ways that they see God's love everyday. He provides food for me, he provides a house for me to live in and a bed to sleep in at night. He has given me clothing to wear and all sorts of other physical needs. He has also given me promise after promise in the Bible that I can find peace and comfort in. He forgives every one of my sins and doesn't abandon me even though I mess up time and time again. He promises to never leave or forsake us, he promises to come back for us who believe someday, he promises hear and answer every prayer. What an amazing God we serve!
David also takes the time to recognize God for some of the qualities that he has. Rock, fortress, deliverer, place of refuge, shield, and stronghold. When I read through this list, I could not help but think of the armor God that Paul mentions in Ephesians. The shield of faith, breast plate of righteousness, the sword of the spirit, the belt of truth, the helmet of salvation, and the shoes of the Gospel of peace. The armor that we put on everyday will protect us spiritually and everyone of them is from God. Your shield is your faith in God and your breastplate is righteousness which comes through faith. Your sword is the Holy Spirit that is living in each of us who believe and what holds everything together is the truth we can read about in the Bible. Everything comes back to God.
David recognizes God as his rock. I think of the hymn that says "on Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand". If I but my hope in anything I this world it will leave me unfulfilled and empty. If I put my hope on Christ and depend fully on God, I will stand firm even through the hardest of times because he is my rock, he is solid and unchanging. I love the image of God being my rock. I think of an extremely large rock that man is unable to destroy. I think of a rock that man is unable to touch me when I am standing on. Am I daily standing on the Rock? Am I putting all my hope and trust in God? Am I standing firm or am I sinking? I know some days if feel like I'm sinking but as soon as I ask the Lord for help and depend on him, he pulls me up and helps me to stand again. I think of the wrestler that had the name "the rock". It makes me think of when I was in high school and the beginning of my college days. I was dependent on being in a relationship and feeling loved by a guy. That's when I started sinking. I made people my rock and tried "standing" on them instead of standing on the true Rock who will never move or change. Don't put your hope in things of this world because they will surely fail you and let you down. Rather put your trust in God and daily stand firm on his promises and the truth that is in the Bible.
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