Psalm 18: God Gives Me People

There are a lot of good verses and passages in Psalm 18. I like the heading, which says,

“A David song, which he sang to God after being saved from all his enemies and from Saul.”

It sheds some light on why David was so thankful and loved God as much as he seems to in this Psalm. David starts this Psalm describing God as his protector:

“I love you, God –

            you make me strong.

God is bedrock under my feet,

            the castle in which I live,

            my rescuing knight.

My God—the high crag

            where I run for dear life,

            hiding behind the boulders,

            safe in the granite hideout.”

Keep in mind this was what David was saying about God after he was rescued from his enemies. David acknowledges that God is his protector like a castle or like a mountain. I don’t feel like God protects me in the same way that David did. I struggle to see protection or relief from my enemies in such tangible ways. David was able to see God work in the tangible ways. How I long for that.

But my enemies are not warriors or kings out to kill me. My enemies are more often my thoughts and emotions. Can God . . . does God . . . protect me from those enemies in tangible ways? I don’t know if He is providing for protection from those things by running interference for me or by bringing other people into my life to bolster me. That’s the way I think He is working.

For instance, I have my husband who is there for my support. There are professionals – counselors and doctors – who also are there for support. I think that’s how God protects me from my enemies. Through other people He places in my life to support me and give me guidance and direction. These people are as tangible as a castle or a mountain.

Maybe my protection from God isn’t so much different than it was for David. Maybe, He strategically places people in my life to give me protection, encouragement, and strength when I need it. Just like God placed the mountains and boulders there for David’s protection, He places strong people around me to help me in my journey. No matter if my foe is a thought or an emotion, there is a help for overcoming it. I just need to access that help by calling out to the people God has placed in my life.