Daily Psalm January 27

Read Psalm 18:7–19.

7 The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. 8 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. 9 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. 10 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—the dark rain clouds of the sky. 12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. 13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. 14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them. 15 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. 16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. 19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

THE HINDSIGHT OF FAITH.

David says God came down from heaven in storm (verses 8–9 and 12–13) and wind (verse 15) to save him. While he did these things at other times (cf. Joshua 10:11; Exodus 14:21), God never literally did them to help David escape from Saul. With hindsight, however, David now sees that God was active beneath the surface of things, even when he seemed absent at the time, “because he delighted in me” (verse 19). Christians know that God came down from heaven for them because he “loved [us] and gave himself for [us]” (Galatians 2:20) on the cross and delights in us in Christ (Colossians 1:22).

Prayer:

Lord, the very fact that another day has been added to my life is due to your undeserved mercy and active presence. As I age another day, let me grow in the knowledge that I am completely accepted and fully loved, despite my flaws and failures, in Christ. Amen.