Claim His Promises for All Circumstances
David wrote the words in Psalm 18, a song to the Lord, on the day when the Lord rescued him from King Saul and also from his enemies. David addresses the Lord in verses 1-3:
“I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and 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,
and I am saved from my enemies.”
David expressed to the Lord that he loved Him. That God was his strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield and salvation.
God protected David from natural disasters, like mentioned in verse 7: “Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations, also of the mountains, trembled and quaked,” That sounds like an earthquake to me. God protected David from his human enemies, like in verse 17: “He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.” And God protected David and gave him a foundation for his life. “The Lord lives and blessed be my rock.” This Psalm talks of battle and God as a warrior for us. God is our deliverer, rock, and fortress.
In the midst of struggle, David writes in verse 33,
“He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”
Here in PA where I live, I see deer all the time. One time I counted 18 deer on the way coming back at night from a home, woman’s Bible study. Deer have long powerful legs which allow them to walk, run, and climb across rough ground. They very rarely stumble even when climbing up a high mountainside. They are sure-footed and can climb rocky cliffs. You wouldn’t think that when one sees them peacefully grazing on the side of the road. Deer can also jump up to 7 or 8 feet. They have ears that independently move to hear. And they have eyes on the side of their heads to watch out for danger. All this in an animal that looks delicate, helpless, and gentle.
One of my favorite Christian books is called “Hinds feet on High Places” by Hannah Hurnard. This story is the journey of a person who learns to overcome fear and suffering like a deer leaping over obstacles. My personal “go to” when the pressure is on is fear. But with God, this is the picture that verse 33 paints: “He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.”
We, as children of God, can rely on the Lord in times of crisis. We can run with hinds’ feet on high places, live on the “heights,” not down in the dregs. We can live above our circumstances. God gives us courage and inner strength to press on, to escape our enemies, and to go on to new horizons and heights. Verses 31-32 say:
“For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?— the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.”
In these days, many people are struggling. We might not be physically in “the cords of death” and in “the torrents of destruction” like David expresses in verses 4-5, but people struggle with just getting up in the morning – there is depression, anxiety; there is mental illness; there are addictions; And there is loneliness, like never before. Verses 28-32 read like this:
“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. For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?— the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.”
God is the answer. This Psalm gives us hope and reminds us who we need to run to. “God lightens my darkness.” “For by you, I can run against a troop.” And “by my God, I can leap over a wall.” One Bible version says, “I can scale a wall.”
I remember claiming that verse, “by my God, I can scale a wall” (vs. 29), when I was preparing my master’s guitar recital at Peabody Conservatory of Music. I was so scared I would forget the memorized music and wouldn’t be able to play all the intricate scales in the very difficult pieces on the program. Bach’s Prelude, Fugue and Allegro, was off the charts difficult to play, and the modern piece, 5 Walton Bagatelles, was equally challenging. That was my “wall” to leap over. I needed those “hinds feet” (vs. 33) “secure on the heights,” and “hands trained for war” (vs. 34) for playing that recital.
Verse 30 proved true. “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.”
I was able to pull off a beautiful recital with God’s strength and help.
What is your wall that you might be facing?
God equips us with strength. “For you equipped me with strength for the battle.” (vs. 39)
Psalm 18 is a prophetic Psalm. It points to Christ who is THE rock. He gives victory. He has brought salvation. Christ, the warrior, leads the church into battles for souls.
David ends Psalm 18 with these verses (46-50):
“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 rescued me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from the man of violence. For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name. Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.”
David was the anointed king and through his offspring and line came Jesus Christ who enables us to conquer all enemies. Psalm 18 ends with “...to David and his offspring forever.”
I believe our workplaces can be a place of battle ground – even within families or neighborhoods, battles can be raging. However, we do have the victory through Christ, our rock. What’s your battle today?
May we trust our Savior – our fortress, deliverer, and shield – and like David, claim deliverance in all circumstances.
– Rev. Susan McKeithen serves as Executive Assistant to the President at Nazarene Bible College.
Published: 09/13/2024
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