A Psalm for the Day: Psalm 18
By Cara Croft
I have spent a month trying to figure out what in the world to write about on the blog this month. What do you say when you feel like you have nothing to say? Here’s the answer I have come up with: nothing. There is a time to speak and then there is a time to be quiet.
While I am writing a few words of introduction and a few words of conclusion, I want today’s post to be more of a time to be silent and let God be the one to speak through His Word. For those of you out there who are struggling with feeling “in distress,” with “cords of Sheol encompassing,” or “torrents of destruction,” and “snares of death,” this Psalm is for you. While I am not going to write out the entire Psalm here (you can read the full Psalm here), I am going to include some verses of hope. Please take time to read the rest aloud to yourself, resonating with David and feeling the shift from despair to hope in God.
Psalm 18:16-19
He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too might for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
He rescued me, because he delighted in me.
That last line moves me. He rescued me, not because I earned it, not because he was obligated, but because he delighted in me.
God delights in me.
God delights in you.
Is this possible? Can it be true?
My dear sister, not only can it be true—it is true. You are worth delighting in. You are being rescued. God sees you, He hears your cries, and He takes delight in caring for you.
Please stop and take a moment. Don’t scroll on to the next blog or the next blog post/podcast/book/sermon/etc. Stop, take a breath and let it sink in for one moment that God delights in you and he will rescue you from whatever it is that is threatening to drown you today.
Cara Croft is wife to Brian, mother to 4 adult/teenage children, and currently finishing her Master's degree in Christian Counseling. She enjoys counseling, reading, and growing in learning to care for the suffering. Cara is also the Director of Counseling Ministry at Practical Shepherding.