Psalm 18

¹ 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.

David praises God as his fortress but what is a fortress?

It is a place of safety; a refuge from danger; a place to rest east and sleep; a place to regain your strength. It is often also the place were your local ruler lives the one who is supposed to protect you when danger comes. David knew that only God could provide this for him, even though he was a king himself. No matter who you are we need God’s help and protection in our lives. We also need a place were we can gain the strength to face the challenges of the world. Like David I have found God a stronghold and a place to regain my strength.

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.

My own walk with Jesus has shown me the truth of these vereses.

God has reached down and rescued me when I have been beset by the world around me particularly in my health. He drew me up and protected me from the things or people attacking me bring me relief from troubles. The psalm tells us that God does this because He delights in us, He loves us and wants to be in a relationship with us. God loves it when we walk His path doing right, aiding others and loving them as ourselves. David saw himself as blameless before God but only because God had forgiven Him as God wanted David as king. However we are not blameless before God, no one is, but Jesus came to make us blameless by us putting on His sacrifice so that we can enter God’s presence.

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.

God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him, Who stand up for what is right in His eyes. Who put others before themselves. However He will deal with the proud and those who only think of themselves.

²⁸ You light a lamp for me.
    The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.

Jesus is the light of the world and shines in the darkness and the darkness can’t not stop His light. Jesus said that He was the light of the world by following Him, accepting Him as Lord, the darkness is always being pushed away from you.

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.

David talks about following God’s way as it is perfect, it is a wide path where we are protected as we travel. We can follow it even when the way is hard as climbing a mountain as He makes our feet sure.

³⁶ You have made a wide path for my feet
    to keep them from slipping.

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.

David although a king with great power knew that it all came from God, Davids rock, strength and place of protection.

I may not be a king but God gives the same protection to me and will to you if you ask Jesus for forgiveness and to send His Spirit to enter you and guide your life from now on.