Journeys Through the Word
“The LORD is my rock …”
Verse(s) considered:
Psalms 18:2 ESV
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.
Immediate context:
Psalms 18:1-5 ESV
(1) To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength.
(2) 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.
(3) I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
(4) The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
(5) the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
Additional context for consideration:
Luke 1:46-49 ESV (Mary’s Song of Praise: The Magnificat)
(46) And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
(47) and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
(48) for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
(49) for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
Psalms 18:6-19 ESV
(6) 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.
(7) Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
(8) Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
(9) He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
(10) He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
(11) He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.
(12) Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
(13) The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
(14) And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
(15) Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
(16) He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
(17) He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
(18) They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
(19) He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
Thoughts along the road: (Observations)
- This is the verse of the day from the Bible app on my phone. While I appreciate the daily verse each day, I don’t always go beyond just a general affirmation of the goodnes of God in his word in applying that particular verse to my life on that particular day. Today I was prompted to do more than that because I am going through a difficulty in my life that makes me want to do more than just “going through the motions” in my devotional life.
- I needed to take a closer look at this verse and see how it both applies to my life and how it changes my view of who God is. So, let’s take a bit of a deeper dive.
- This begins with “The LORD is my rock.” What is a rock? Scripturally speaking, I think about the firm foundation that Jesus said we should build our lives on.
- Is your life standing firm? We all have waves crashing against us all the time trying to take us out, overwhelm us, destroy us. God is telling us here not to give up. He is our foundation. He will hold us up. We just need to stand firm in him and cling to what we know is true—the power of his word. Nothing endures like the faithfulness and word of our God.
I’ll pick up here tomorrow. I think that going through this verse one phrase at a time will be worth the energy—for both of us. 🙂
Journeys Through The Word 