Read the Book: January - MarchSample

Week 6

Psalm 18

Shout His Praises

In Psalm 18, David gives us a great example of giving God all of the glory.  He uses vivid imagery of strength and protection, such as “rock”, “fortress”, and “shield” to depict God as an unmatched force who held up David and caused his enemies to fall. This psalm recounts in detail how God was moving in David’s situation, and David gives the Lord all of the credit for the deliverance from Saul.

Crying out to God when we’re in distress is perhaps one of the most familiar ways that we communicate with Him. So often, He answers that cry and works in our lives to mature us, protect us, and deliver us. But how often do we remember to give Him the praise and glory for how He intervenes in our lives? Our flesh is sometimes quick to take any kind of credit upon ourselves, when in reality, God has been at work in our lives and is responsible for our successes. He is the Great Provider, and He alone gives us the skills, talents, finances, blessings, and even the very breath in our lungs.

In verse 25, David states, “to the blameless you show yourself blameless.” Are we blameless in our own right? No. We all fall short. But Christ’s sacrifice made a way; His blood shed for us covers us so that when we believe that Jesus is Lord, God the Father sees the blamelessness of the Lamb instead of our sin. His victory over death has made a way for us to have eternal life with Him. For that deliverance from death to life, we shout His praises all of our days.

Family Connection: Take time this week to build a fort! Camp out as a family under the fort and have someone read Psalm 18:2. God is our fortress! What is a fortress? It is kind of like a fort - a fortress is a safe place to be! But what would happen to our fort if I tugged on the blanket? Or if someone jumped on it? Our fort would fall down, but this verse says God is like a rock! He is strong and ALWAYS a safe place for us to take refuge in - no matter how we are feeling!