PSALM 18:1-2 – “I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

THEME OF THE DAY:  THIS GOD IS OUR GOD. The favorite verse of the great reformer, Martin Luther was Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  When asked about the verse, Luther responded, “The favorite part is that He loved me.  Me is the most important word.”

Luther understood and embraced the personal nature of the Lord and the Gospel.  As infinite as God is; as great as He is; and as incomprehensible as He is, our God is personal.  He is to be understood and embraced as Luther understood – individual and personal.

In today’s scripture, the Psalmist David opens with a heartfelt cry of praise and adoration.  Within its words are his heart’s desire – “I love you, O Lord my strength.”  He also acknowledges his dependency on his God as his source of strength for life. But then . . . David embraces God as his God, and he unfolds wonderful truths of who God is to him. Settle in with each title and make them personal.  It is the desire of our God and brings joy to the believing soul.

First, this God is our God who is our protector in all life’s storms. He is our fortress, refuge and stronghold.  These are pictures of security, safety, and a place to hide when fear and anxiety seek a hold on our timid hearts.  Even now, stop and praise God for being our sure refuge and stronghold against all the dark forces warring against our hearts.

Next, this God is our God who is our shield standing between us and the fiery darts of the evil one. The Apostle Paul tells us “take up the shield of faith with which we may quench all the fiery darts of the evil” (Ephesians 6:16).  These fiery darts are the accusations of the devil, his temptations to doubt God’s Word, and the constant barrage of insinuations of our always falling short of God’s glory.  And against each one, our God, our personal God, shields us.

A third great truth of our personal God is the stability of Him being our rock. Twice David proclaims God is his rock.  We get the picture of being firm, steadfast, unmovable, and that is what we have in Christ, the solid rock.  It is the unchangeable and sure foundation of the Lord Jesus in our lives that prevents us from sinking in the many “quick sands” in the world seeking to sink us into the pits of discouragement and depression.

Yes, God is our God, and delights in being so, so make Him so!  Read Psalm 18. Better yet, pray Psalm 18 aloud to the Lord, and like David proclaim with praise and thanksgiving the privilege of calling the great God of creation and scripture, our God, our personal God.

PRAYER:  Father, I praise You for being a  Personal God as well as being my Personal God.

REFLECTION:  God delights in calling us His possession and also delights in us calling Him our possession.