- 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. Psalm 18:6 – Something unique about this psalm is David himself sings it later in his life. In 2 Samuel 22 we see David find great victory over his enemies, and what are the words that come from his mouth in celebration of such a victory? Psalm 18. David recounts the words that he penned years prior in his youth and he saw how they continued to ring true even later in his life. That the Lord was his rock and fortress. That even when evil surrounded, God was able to deliver. That the Lord was able to equip David with everything he needed to fight the good fight, and the blessing in our verse above is also seen, that the Lord heard David’s cry. That when David was in need and called to the Lord for help, the Lord heard. All the way from His temple in heaven (for the earthly temple hadn’t been built yet) we get this image of the Lord hearing the cry of His servant and responding. How precious is a psalm like this for those who are navigating their own difficulty! God hears our cry and God responds to our need! He lights up your path, He is shield against your enemy’s attacks, and he destroys the enemy that comes against you. When He rises from His throne the earth rocks and quakes in response. Your cry is heard and the efforts of the enemy will not find victory forever in your life. God’s end goal for you is salvation and to be in glory with Him, trust then that is how the Lord is going to handle and preserve your life. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2973
- For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. 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. Psalms 18:28-30 – What we see here is the change God can bring into someone’s life who follows His ways. He makes clear the path for them to walk down in life. He gives them the strength to confront the enemies in their story whatever those might be. Concerning the brick walls they keep facing in life as they move forward, God gives them what they need to move past those walls. God is a help to those following Him. Where the world gets the idea that God is a burden to your life and only removes things is straight from the enemy. Challenge yourself this new year to put God first and follow His path. Sure you’ve heard the lie that it isn’t worth it, but you know you need something bigger than you this next year. God is offering you a path of following Him today, choose it and see for yourself this upcoming year how much further He can take you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 759
- For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. Psalm18:39 – You may be currently in the midst of a serious battle in life. A relationship is falling apart, a job isn’t going well, your health may be deteriorating. As you should, you lift your voice to God in prayer asking for help assuming the help is for Him to pick you up and remove you from the hardship. Instead, He gives you a sword. Our passage reminds us that sometimes the way God helps us in our struggles is giving us what we need to fight through the struggle rather than a rescue out of it. He can give the peace we need to stay calm and the wisdom to navigate difficult choices. He also gives the essential relationships that helps us through. So in our struggle are we looking to the heavens for a spiritual rescue chopper when we are surround by swords we need to be picking up? Maybe God hasn’t left us without help, it’s just the help is coming in a different way than we expected. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1735
Daily DEVO 