I love you, O Lord!

Psalm 18 (1-7)

I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
so I shall be saved from my enemies.
The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

Our psalm this morning begins with heartfelt words, “I love you, O Lord, my strength.” Of the 150 psalms, only Psalm 18 begins with the words, “I love you,” and they are uttered by a grateful David. Now David had been through some very difficult times to say the least. For many years, before receiving the crown, he was pursued by the sitting king, his father-in-law, King Saul who tried to kill him. He spent well over a decade on the run, often in the wilderness, waiting for God’s deliverance. And once he was finally delivered completely from the hand of Saul, this servant of the Lord suffered much at the hands of enemies, including sabotage from his own son who tried to undermine David’s credibility. Yet even after facing many trials and difficult times throughout the course of his life, David was able to say that he loved God. His images of God are personal and relational as he declares his love and dependence on God as his source of strength. David faced his challenges knowing in his heart that God was his rock, fortress and deliverer in whom he could take refuge. In the midst of trouble, he knew that God heard his voice when he cried for help in his distress.

We may not face the challenges that David had, but in truth, all of us face difficult times. They will vary for each of us – death, divorce, bankruptcy, abuse, neglect, illness, family or work conflicts, abandonment, fear, and the list goes on. What we learn today from David is that God is strong and faithful beyond anything we can ever imagine no matter what we may face. God’s strength knows no bounds. In God’s presence, we find safety and security, and shelter from the dangers that threaten to overwhelm us. God’s unchanging nature reassures us of His grace and protection, even in the midst of life’s greatest challenges. And in a world filled with uncertainty and turmoil, it’s comforting to declare with certainty that God is our rock in whom we take refuge.

As we journey through these last days of Lent, let us hold on to the truth of God’s steadfast love and unlimited strength. May we find peace in knowing that God is our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer, guiding us through every trial and triumph and proclaim, “I love you, Lord, my strength.”

Faithfully,
Rose+

prayer

O Lord, you relieve our necessity out of the abundance of your great riches: Grant that we may accept with joy the salvation you bestow, and manifest it to all the world by the quality of our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.