December 19 – Psalm 18:1-3, 31-33, 49-50
Jesus, our Savior King, we praise You for You are Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!!!! We thank You for You secure our peace! We fall before You in worship and adoration. Draw near to us, Lord of all.
“I love You, O Lord, my strength.”
Psalm 18:1
Typically, when I read this chapter, I skip right to verse 2. And I know this because that is where all the color pencil highlighting in my Bible starts. Verse 2 is colored green for faith, verse 3 is blue for prayer, and the last sentence is orange for salvation. But I skipped right over verse 1, which should be marked in red for love and underlined with exclamation points. And yet, there it sits all alone, unmarked and unread. And yet, that verse is THE verse. It is the expression that we all tell Jesus every single day. It is the phrase that guides us, destroys the enemy, shatters the whispers of satan, shines light into every bit of darkness, changes our perspective… I could go on and on and on. That one phrase, “I love You, O Lord.” I mean, I should have it underlined so hard that it tears through my page, I should have it read so many times that the page is brittle from use. And yet, that one verse is utterly clean and unblemished.
And I pray that this phrase in my real life is not as clean and unused. I pray that my life shows that phrase as worn and used, highlighted and lived out, held onto so hard that it is clearly bent, misshapen, and worn through.
Okay, onto the ‘lesson.’ I love this verse 1; it is a simple statement for a complex expression. In fact, the word ‘love’ used here is the same used by Peter in John 21 to express his devotion to Jesus. And if King David can go before God too and declare this kind of love, then so can I. It is
not with pompous arrogance or expecting something in return, not a superficial love. But a love so deeply rooted that our soul aches with a devotion so strong no one can deter it and creates that aching yearning for the Jesus of Salvation.
Yet, then we tend to become like Peter once was, reluctant to offer this kind of love devotion because of our past failings. But, just as Peter learned, we can let go of what is holding us back from devotional love. Once forgiven, there is no separation. Jesus came to earth so that we would know Love Himself and that we can devote our lives to Him.
So, praise Him! He has come! He is love! And He loves YOU! Let go of what is holding you back from this kind of love. David expresses it so exuberantly, so confidently, and so needless of boldness. It just oozes from him without restraint. And we can do that, too. This Christmas season, make a promise that you will love Him with a devoted kind of love.
My Verse: “I love You, O Lord, my strength.” Psalm 18:1
My Response: My Lord Jesus, Your mercy is never failing; all my life, You have been faithful. It is time for me to give it all over to You, whatever I have been holding back. A little baby, set in a manger, fulfilling the promise to love and rescue me, the captive, and set me free. Lord, I want to be free and love You devotedly. I lay all that I am allowing to hold me back; I lay it all at Your feet. And I shall dance with great joy in the knowledge that You came for me!
Further Reading: John 21:15-19
What’s next?
As the Spirit leads, share what He has laid on your heart in the comment section below. Then join us again tomorrow for the next commentary.
