If I were to sum this whole psalm up in one verse, I’d
choose Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the
conviction of things not seen.” (ESV)
The very beginning of this psalm tells us that David, “sang
to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD
delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.” (Psalm
18:1 NIV) It was a time of victory and relief in David’s life. But it wasn’t the end of the struggles and
problems he would face – many of which were from his personal choices and
sinful actions.
To pray like this regularly, however, is to trust in
things we’re not seeing. Often we find
ourselves feeling defeated. Instead of
feeling like we can run against a troop, we feel like we’ve been run over by a
troop. All around us we see people with
haughty eyes excelling and prospering, and we wonder, “Will God bring them
down?” The world tells us that history
has judged our faith and found it lacking, and we should join the relics of
time as another broken down idea debunked by better data.
However, by faith we see a different picture. We can say with David, “This God – His way is
perfect; the word of the LORD proves true;
He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the LORD? And
who is a rock, except our God?” It is
not what we see with these physical eyes in our heads that dictate reality, but
it is what the eyes of faith see as they trust in God who speaks reality into
existence that matters most.
In this world we often find ourselves operating from a
stand point of trusting God’s Word over the things that we see and
experience. We cling to Him through His
promises. As we pray Psalm 18, we are
taking hold of God’s promises to save and deliver us and lifting them back
before God, as if to say, “Remember!
Remember! Remember!” And as we remind God, who does not forget, we
also remind ourselves, and we do forget and constantly need to be refreshed by
God’s Word.
“The LORD lives, and
blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation – the God who gave
me vengeance and subdued peoples under me, who delivered me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the
man of violence.” We long for this kind
of confidence as we face troubles and enemies, so we hold on to these words
remembering what God will do, as well as what God has done for us.
We see this salvation in Jesus. He, too, was fully human as we are, and He
stood in our place to bear our sin to death on the cross. He was trampled by His enemies, beaten,
bruised, crushed and killed. Yet He had
vengeance on Easter Sunday. He was
vindicated for the eyes of all to see as God raised Him from the dead, rescuing
Him from the violence He faced in this life.
He died and rose, and he can never die again. Indeed, “Great salvation He brings to his
king, and shows steadfast love to His anointed.”
Through Jesus, God brings great salvation to us. As Jesus stood in our place, Jesus has drawn
us into His place. In Him we have
received all of these promises and all of this victory. Yet, in ourselves we still struggle in this
world. So we cling to promises; promises
that are certain and strong as the One who gives them.
Father in Heaven,
help me to trust your promises.
Sometimes it looks like everything is wrong, and I feel like I’ve been
abandoned to defeat. Let me cling to your
Word and receive the salvation Jesus won for me. Yet, while I struggle and cling I pray you
would use me to show your faithfulness to others. Amen.
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