Mensa Otabil - The Lord My Rock
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Welcome to a brand new week as we start our study of God’s Word. In our devotional into God’s Word, we’re going back to the Book of Psalms to follow through our reading of the Psalms. So, we go to Psalm 18, and that’s what we’ll be looking at throughout this week. We start with verses one and two: «I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength in whom I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.»
The Psalms are always pleasant as we encounter the writers telling us of their relationship with God, and it helps us to develop a better relationship with Him. Here, David is the psalm writer, and it’s a triumphant Psalm because he is celebrating all that God has done for him and the many victories that God has given to him. He talks about his deep love for God; it’s an intimate relationship he has with God and a caring relationship that God exerts towards him. In these two verses, he talks about seven things that he associates with God, seven ways that he sees God, and I believe that they help us also to see God in that same light.
First, he says, «The Lord is my rock.» What does it mean when David says, «The Lord is my rock?» A rock is unshakable ground, a ground that cannot be moved; it is stability. So, this saying is basically that when I’m on the Lord or when I trust in God, I am on unshakable ground, grounds that cannot be shaken, grounds that cannot move. So, when I’m in the Lord, I am stable. The Lord is my rock. Then he says, «The Lord is my fortress.» In times of war, in the days of David, the fortress was the place of advantage. That’s where people would hide their warriors, and they would be in a high place and shoot arrows against the enemy. So, David is saying basically God is my advantage; he’s my defense. But not just a defense; in Him, I’m able to wage my warfare and win my warfare. I have an advantage with God; He is my fortress.
Thirdly, he says, «The Lord is my deliverer.» The deliverer is the one who takes you out of a trap when you get caught and when you’re surrounded, and there’s nowhere else to turn. David says God is the one who delivers me when I have fallen into a bad patch of life. So, he’s telling us about the Father God: it’s His rock, His fortress, my deliverer.
Number four, he says, «The Lord is my strength.» In a battle, and David was used to battles, you could fight for a long time, and you would lose your strength. You get tired; you get weak; you’re not able to run any longer; you’re not able to move your arm. But he says when I get to that point, God gives me strength; He is the one who gives me strength when I am weak. There are many relationships we can have with God; when we are down, He is our strength. Then, he says, «The Lord is my shield.» In those days, the shield was very protective. When an arrow was shot against you, the shield defends you. David says when people shoot against me, the Lord is my defense; He pleads my case for me and gives me victory. He says, «The Lord is my salvation.» He is the one who makes my life well; He makes my life beautiful. He is the one who delivers me, but not only delivers me; He’s the source of my well-being, the Lord who makes my life beautiful.
Finally, he says, «The Lord is my stronghold.» The stronghold is the last place of defense; when there’s nowhere else to turn, David says, «I go to the Lord because He is my stronghold.» What a wonderful way to open the week — to see God in these pictures. May the Lord be to you all of these and more. Let us pray: Heavenly Father, You are my source of help. Give me the grace to trust You deeply. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.