Psalm 18:28 “You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” (NIV)
Psalm 18 tracks with the prayer of David at the end of his life in 2 Samuel 22, where he looks back on the grace, mercy, and love of God expressed toward him and his people. Psalm 18 is a mountain peak in the psalms for me because David describes the attributes of the Lord for him as he reflects on his own life with all its ups and downs.
Notice how David describes the attributes of God:
- My strength
- My rock
- My fortress
- My deliverer
- My shield
- My salvation
- My stronghold
- My support
The life of faith is an interactive life with our Lord, since it is lived out in the world in the hard and dangerous places of life that seek to discourage, defeat, and separate us from our God. But these attributes of God teach us emphatically one big spiritual truth: Run to the Lord and stay close to him! If I can sum up the spiritually disciplined life in one sentence it is simply that. God never lets us down nor does he ever let us go. People may dismay us and seek to rob us of our joy in this life, but when we run to the Lord, he is always there to receive us in his arms.
I cannot do justice to the full scope of David’s psalm of praise to his God, but I will point us to the great devotional text that underscores that God is our light in this dark world. Have you ever been in pitch black? It is so disorienting, but one flicker of light gives us a sense of position and direction since we all must head toward the light. The devotional text is amplified in Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Our God uses his word to provide light into our life, that we might find our way as we take life step by step. God only provides us enough light to direct our way day by day and step by step. Our daily answers come through the experience of faith and through the perseverance of obedience. As we remain true to Jesus Christ and follow his word, then our path will be lighted sufficiently for us to find our way home.
TODAY, FATHER, I FLEE TO YOUR ARMS AND ASK THAT YOU OPEN MY EYES TO YOUR WORD AND THAT I MIGHT FOLLOW IT OBEDIENTLY STEP BY PRECIOUS STEP TO MY HEAVENLY HOME.
Article source: Mike White @ Summit church of Christ
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