Life is Like… 

Fill in the blank and let me know what you think! Maybe you’re thinking of the quote from Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.” Here are a few other quotes that came up. 

Life is like a book. There are good chapters, and there are bad chapters. 

Life is like a cup of coffee. No matter how bitter it may be, it is always enjoyable. 

Life is like a garden, you reap what you sow. 

I want to say life is like a journey! It reminds me of my favorite book by John Bunyan, “Pilgrim’s Progress” which is heaven! Some people have stopped on the journey, and things aren’t going so right. Some are on the struggle bus of the journey and things look bad ahead. The destination matters, but the journey makes it all worthwhile.

How are you doing on life’s journey? Today we will look at Psalm 18 as a journey of David’s faith.

1. Exaltation 

In Psalm 18 we see God transform a man’s fear to faith in word and deed. David opens the journey of his heart and his faith’s progress and invites an audience to observe and glean from God’s response to his plea. 2 Samuel 22 records nearly identical words as Psalm 18 and is known as David’s Song of Deliverance. 

“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. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.” (vv. 1-3). 

David acknowledges God! David begins the Psalm placing the Lord in the Lord’s proper place; blessed, exalted, and praised. He casts his eyes and his hope to God. David begins in praise and places God in His proper place; exalted. 

2. Confession 

“The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God, I cried for help. From his temple, he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” (vv. 4-6). 

David brings God the exact circumstance he finds himself in. David lays the current condition of this heart and circumstance before the Lord. 

David describes his circumstance using dramatic words and heavy context. Encompassed, assailed, and entangled are words that reveal a man who is desperate for aid. He declares his distress, and he calls to the Lord with the belief that his prayer, his cry, is heard by God.

David states the honest condition of his circumstances, heart, and life. He sees himself as entangled and bound and headed for death. In verse 6, he calls to God in his distress. I have watched many people want to call out to God when things are right, proper, and clean.

3. Deliverance 

“Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the mountains trembled and quaked because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devoured fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.” (vv. 7-10). 

Did the Lord answer David? Yes. How did the Lord answer? The Lord answers with a shock and awe response to the enemies of David. 

The Lord responds to David’s prayer by addressing David’s enemies. Look at the language of how God is described in God’s vengeance. Let it encourage you that God hears prayers. 

4. Sanctification 

“He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. He confronted me on the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me because he was delighted in me.” (vv. 16-19). 

I appreciate that David provides the Lord’s answer to his prayer personally as described. The Lord responds to David’s prayer for David. The Lord drew David from many waters, a picture of rescue, and then set David in a broad place, a place without borders, a place with no boundary. 

The Lord’s response to David gives hope and encouragement to David and David begins to encourage himself in the Lord and lets his faith develop regarding his dilemma. By faith, he sees himself blameless and declared innocent by God and clean according to verses 20-25. 

By faith, even though the circumstances have not yet changed, David sees himself as God sees him and begins to walk in a current heart and uses words like blameless, clean, and pure to describe how he sees himself in God. 

5. Redemption 

“For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? The God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.” (vv. 31-36). 

We see a shift begin in David. Remember, he was entangled in death in verses 4-5 and now he claims that by his God he can run against a troop and leap over a wall. 

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