HE DELIVERED ME!

Lord, You are my shield, my strength, my portion, my deliverer, my shelter, my strong tower, my very present help in time of need. Thank You.




Good morning! My name is Charlotte and I am writing to help us give our first thoughts to the Lord. Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

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Let's look at Psalms 18 today - this is from the King James. I have been using some from the New American Standard version, but today we are going to use a little of both. It says:

I will love you, O Lord, my strength.

The NASV says "I love you, Lord, my strength." I like the KJV on this because it makes a dynamic statement. I WILL love you, O Lord, my strength. It's like saying no matter what happens in this life, good or bad, I make the quality decision to love you, Lord. It is a matter of will and choice. Why? because You are my strength.

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress and my deliverer: my God, my strength, in whom I will trust (take refuge); my buckler (shield) and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.

Dake's note on 'horn of my salvation' is 'a horn is a symbol of power and kingship'. To 'exalt the horn' is 'to confer power and authority upon. Thus a 'horn of salvation' would mean a mighty salvation or a strong Savior'.

Proverbs 18:10 says The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous run into it, and is safe.

I home schooled Matthew one year and his art project was a drawing of the name JESUS as a huge tower with steps running up to it with people on them. How wonderfully graphic of this scripture. We can run into Jesus and be safe.

I am reminded of the fairy tale 'Repunzel, Repunzel, let down your golden hair.' The only way into her tower was by her long hair.

The only way into the tower of the Lord is by Jesus. He is our strong tower and only the righteous can run into it and be safe.

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

The cords of death encompassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness terrified me. The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

This is a great cry of David's. This Psalms comes from David when he was running from Saul. Most of the battle was in his mind. That is where fear abides - our minds.

2 Timothy 1:7 says this For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.

God gives us POWER - God gives us LOVE - God gives us a SOUND MIND. But (there's the but) when FEAR comes on the scene, FEAR CANCELS OUT POWER - FEAR CANCELS OUT LOVE - FEAR CANCELS OUT A SOUND MIND.

In this Psalm this is where David was - he was surrounded by the threat of death, he was covered up with torrents of ungodliness that absolutely terrified him. Hell surrounded him - death confronted him - He was a mess and realistically so because if Saul could get his hands on him, he was a goner.

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into His ears.

David knew where his strength lay. His strength was in God - a refuge in time of storm - In the midst of all of this - David cried unto the Lord and his cry for help came into God's ears.

Verse 16 continues (16 is my favorite verse). He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

We are so like children - when I get afraid the child in me comes out. No matter how old we get, we still have a little child in us that gets hurt, that cries because of a boo-boo, who needs someone special to love and run too when things don't go right. We all do! No matter what age we are and no matter what status in life we have. We all have a vulnerable part of us. That is the part of us that cries to God in time of trouble. No one but God can fix the things that are wrong in our lives. No one but God can bind up the broken hearted, set a captive free, or dry our tears.

Like a mother knows her child's cry, so our Father knows our cry and hears from on high - the 7th verse of this chapter talks about Then the earth shook and trembled: the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. Then He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me......

Thank you, Father, for hearing us when we cry unto you. Thank you for being out shelter, our strong tower, our fortress and for rescuing us because You love us.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen (it is done)

Have a great day today!

Charlotte