Psalm 18 - "Fires"

The Lord woke me with two things on my mind. The first was I was to pray for Craig Rench. The second was I was to ponder upon Psalm 18. As I read Psalm 18 in different versions I was impressed upon to praise Him for all He has done in my life and the lives of others such as Craig. I was impressed upon to lift my voice to Him with the words to the song "Fires" and not just sing the words but believe them for not only myself but for many going through tough times.

I remember how You told me That life may not be easy And everything that I need You’ve already given me I remember how You told me I can trust You completely So why am I doubting When You proved that You’d fight for me You’ve walked me through fires Pulled me from flames If You’re in this with me I won’t be afraid When the smoke billows higher, oh and higher And it feels like I can barely breathe I’ll walk through these fires Cause You’re walking with me

I have so many on my prayer list who are struggling with life. Some are job related. Some are physical issues. Some are experiencing intense relationship issues. Some have had great loss in their life with the death of a loved one. The list goes on and on and can be overwhelming to pray through. We all must remember we are not alone in this world. God never leaves us. He is always there to give us exactly what we need but we first must allow Him into our life. Too many times we try to 'do life' on our own and that just does not work. We try to 'handle things' in the way we think they should be handled but that does not work. Instead we need to remember...

I can face anything Cause You’re here with me I can do all things Cause You strengthen me

David began Psalm 18 rejoices in the way God delivered him from the 'junk' of life. He glorifies God throughout this Psalm for what He means to him. Matthew Henry wrote: 

Those that truly love God, may triumph in him as their Rock and Refuge, and may with confidence call upon him. It is good for us to observe all the circumstances of a mercy which magnify the power of God and his goodness to us in it. David was a praying man, and God was found a prayer-hearing God. If we pray as he did, we shall speed as he did. God's manifestation of his presence is very fully described, verses 7-15. Little appeared of man, but much of God, in these deliverances. It is not possible to apply to the history of the son of Jesse those awful, majestic, and stupendous words which are used through this description of the Divine manifestation. Every part of so solemn a scene of terrors tells us, a greater than David is here. God will not only deliver his people out of their troubles in due time, but he will bear them up under their troubles in the mean time. Can we meditate on ver. 18, without directing one thought to Gethsemane and Calvary? Can we forget that it was in the hour of Christ's deepest calamity, when Judas betrayed, when his friends forsook, when the multitude derided him, and the smiles of his Father's love were withheld, that the powers of darkness prevented him? The sorrows of death surrounded him, in his distress he prayed, Hebrews 5:7. God made the earth to shake and tremble, and the rocks to cleave, and brought him out, in his resurrection, because he delighted in him and in his undertaking.

Verses eighteen through twenty-two read in The Passion Translation:

When I was at my weakest, my enemies attacked—
    but the Lord held on to me.
19 His love broke open the way,
    and he brought me into a beautiful, broad place.
    He rescued me—because his delight is in me!
20 He rewarded me for doing what’s right and staying pure.
21 I will follow his commands and
    I’ll not sin by ceasing to follow him, no matter what.
22 For I’ve kept my eyes focused on his righteous words,
    and I’ve obeyed everything that he’s told me to do.

The enemy attacks over and over again but we must remember he is not as strong as our God. When we hear and walk in obedience to God's voice, we will have victory over the enemy. God does not desire to see us fail but instead desires to see us be successful in Him. He does not desire to see us hurt but sometimes it takes 'tough' times in life for us to get to the end of ourselves so He can work in and through us. He does not desire to see us struggling with life but sometimes it takes Him showing us what we truly have before we are grateful for it. The enemy is trying to bring me down as he throws things in my face. He is trying to destroy my joy  as he pulls people away from God and away from the church body. He is trying to make me feel like I can't do what God has put before me. Praise His Holy Name the enemy is not who I listen to but can bask in the knowledge God is not only in control but knows the outcome. 

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the words to this song, Scripture, and the reminder to pray for Craig Rench this morning! Thank You for bringing before me so many who are going through difficult times and need to allow You to be in control of their lives! Thank You for the reminder that the enemy is a liar and You are in control of my life and know the outcome! Thank You for those who are in relationship with You who will seek You today with the 'tough' times they are going through! I pray for those who need to accept You into their heart to have someone go before them today that will say or do something to make a difference. I pray for a cleansing in my spirit so I can have Your words, actions, attitude, and thoughts ooze out of me. Lord, I do not know what lies ahead in this day but You do. I do not know what will transpire from the inspection but You do. I do not know who You will put before me today but You do. Praise Your Holy Name for this knowledge! I pray for Your wisdom to come down upon not only myself but others who need to make decisions today. I pray for Your love to pour out of me in a mighty way. Thank You Father for all the ways You blessed me yesterday with: my visit with Homer and Darlene; my back feeling a little better; Chris who loaded some boxes for me; conversations with my Momma and my boys; keeping Rachael and Bill safe when they had car trouble; the beautiful weather to walk in; Luke and Ed having successful surgery; a great Bible study last night; and ending my day with laughing over the phone with Rickey. You packed a lot into my day and I am so grateful. I pray I shined brightly for You yesterday and will shine even brighter for You today. Thank You for being My Rock and Refuge! Amen.