Psalm 18:1-3, “I love You, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my savior, 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.”

          Who is the Lord to you? David lists several things the Lord is to him: his strength, rock, fortress, savior, his God, shield, the horn of his salvation, and his stronghold. David experienced God in each of these ways and could say these things about his God. God was his strength, giving him power to survive in hard situations. God was his rock, giving him a firm footing. God was his fortress, protecting him from his enemies. God was his savior, delivering him from death. God was the one in whom he placed his faith. God was his shield, keeping him safe from the arrows of the enemy. God was the horn of his salvation, a bold declaration of the One who won the victory – the One who wins every victory and brings forgiveness of sins to man.

          After listing all the things God is to David, it is no wonder he begins in verse 1 with “I love You, Lord.” And it’s no wonder in verse 3 he “calls upon the Lord.” He knew God had delivered him through his trials and he could say with his heart, “I love You.” His trials didn’t make him bitter. He was able to see the strength and power of God and he experienced God’s grace and mercy on his life. His only response here was, “I love You, Lord.” He knew who God was. What an important part of our relationship with God! We must know who He is. And it is not enough to just know about God. We must have a relationship, as David did. Many times we are quick to repeat the words in verse 3 and call upon the Lord because we need help. But how often do we spend time repeating the words in verse 1 and declaring our love for the Lord? Are we quick to cry out more than we are to praise? Do we just cry for help and forget to tell the Lord we love Him. It’s not that He needs our love or praise. It’s for our benefit. We need to be reminded of Him – who He is and what He has done.

David wasn’t the only one who recognized who God was and reminded himself of God’s attributes. Moses also did this in Exodus 15:2 and 15:11.

Exodus 15:2, “The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”

Exodus 15:11, “Who is like You among the gods, Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders.”

Job also reflected on God and reminded himself of God’s wonders. He acknowledged God in the midst of his trials.

Job 42:2, “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you.”

          If you haven’t reflected on this in a while, then challenge yourself today. If you were to make a list as David did in Psalm 18:1-3, what characteristics would you include about God? Reflect on and recognize who God is and what He has done for you and in the lives of others around you.

          Why is it important for us to recognize who God is? One reason is so that when we are weak and going through times of trouble, we will remember Him. David does this very thing toward the middle of Psalm 18. In verses 30-36, he reflects on the goodness of God, the greatness of His way, and the faithfulness of His Word.

Psalm 18:30-32, “As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is refined; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God, The God who encircles me with strength, And makes my way blameless.”

          Wow. Once again, David is at it – making lists about God and His Word. Blameless. Refined. Shield. Refuge. Rock. These things can only be said of God. They can’t be said of us. That’s why David begins verse 30 with, “As for God.” He didn’t say, “As for me,” because David knew who God was and who we are. Because “as for me” and “as for David”, we are weak, we are sinners, we are unworthy. But “as for God” – He is blameless, He is a shield, He is a rock.

David makes a distinction here for us, because we are not God. We are not blameless on our own, but David gives us some good news at the end of verse 32. God “makes my way blameless.” We cannot make our own way blameless. But God, through Christ, made a way for us to have salvation. Christ died to forgive us of our sins – to pay the price that we could not.

Romans 5:9, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

Romans 5:11, “And not only this, but we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.”

David knew his own “good works” could never make him “blameless.” He knew to give all credit to God. He gave honor and glory to His Name. In Psalm 18:33-36, David continues his list for us and shows us what God has done for him.

Psalm 18:33-36, “He makes my feet like deer’s feet. And sets me up on my high places. He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me; And Your gentleness makes me great. You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.”

When David had a victory in war, he knew to give the credit to God. He knew each battle was not won in his own strength, but in the strength of God. He knew it was God who made him strong. He knew it was God who protected his life. He knew it was God who had a plan for his future and preserved him for that very reason. He remembered who God was and He reminded himself that God had supplied his every need and carried him each step of the way.

God had a plan for David’s life and He has a plan for our life too. He carries us and provides for our needs as well. Some people get jaded toward God because they don’t know who He is. If you were to ask people to say the first word that comes to mind when they hear the name of God, some would say “wrath”, “fire”, “anger” or “judgment.” Others may say “love”, “kindness”, “mercy” or “grace.” God is both. He does judge, but He is also love. He is not only one or the other.

We are shown at the end of verse 35 that it is God’s gentleness that makes us great. We are not insignificant. God is aware of us. When you think of all the ways David messed up in his life, you might wonder why God would make David great. That’s not to say that God overlooks sin. David sinned greatly in his life and he was corrected and rebuked for his sin. He repented and continued to remember God.

God can draw a straight line with a crooked stick! He makes our path straight (Luke 3:5). He knows we are weak. But that’s the key to God’s “gentleness.” It’s the 2^nd, 3^rd, 26^th, or 100^th time He intervenes for us when we are despised, hated, envied, lonely, hungry, angry, frustrated, vengeful, tempted, foolish, prideful, poor, devastated, discarded or rejected. Just as David experienced all those things throughout his life, we too have experienced situations and God has intervened for us. It is His gentleness that intercedes for our weakness.

Recognize who God is and remind yourself often so that when you are in times of weakness or trouble, you can remember and call upon the Lord. His gentleness makes a way for us. I think if David were here, he would tell us, “God can do for you what He has done for me.” God makes us great. Trust Him.