Making the Lord Your Refuge: Psalm 18
Photo by Mael Balland
When life is hard, where do you go?
David knew the Lord was his refuge—his place of safety in times of war and enemy attack. When a threat rose against him, David ran for that refuge and hid there until the danger had passed.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
until the danger passes by. (Ps. 57:1 NLT)
What “threats” or hardships are you facing this week? Maybe it’s something at work, tension in a relationship, an issue with your parents or in-laws. Or perhaps it’s fear and the hot weight of shame. Right now the Lord is offering you shelter beneath the shadow of His wings.
At BTO this week, we’re asking God to meet your heart in a special way. May you be able to run to Him and know firsthand the awesome protection of God in the midst of hardship.
Let’s take a look at Psalm 18, which David wrote, and a few truths about the Lord and His protection. You may want to read them out loud as declarations over your life and circumstances:
The Lord is my strength and the One who saves me.
Because the Lord is my strength, I am strong indeed. (v. 1)
The Lord is my refuge, the place where nothing can get me. (v. 2)
When I call to the Lord for help, He saves me from my enemies. (v. 3)
He rescues me from those who are stronger than I am. (v. 17)
The Lord is my most loving supporter and the One who helps me.
The Lord supports me. (v. 18)
He greatly delights in me. (v. 19)
I am perfectly innocent in His sight because of Jesus. (vv. 20, 24)
The Lord is my light when the darkness surrounds me. (v. 28)
With my God I can scale the walls set up against me. (v. 29)
The Lord defends me from my enemies, and through His gentleness He makes me great.
The Lord is a shield for those who make Him their refuge. (v. 30)
The Lord is the One who makes me great. (v. 35)
The Lord places my feet on the necks of my enemies. (v. 40)
He holds me beyond the reach of my foes. (v. 48)
Here’s our prayer for you this week:
Father God,
Thank You for the person reading this prayer right now. We ask that You would plant in their heart a deep understanding of Your love for them and Your desire to be their Protector. You are their Father—protecting the child is part of the Father’s job. It is a pillar in Your heart, and You love being their refuge and defender.
May this precious child of God come to know You at the level You wish to be known. Please fill their heart with the peace of Heaven, and open their eyes to see You as their place of safety.
— The BTO Team
Before you go!
When we have trouble or a mental block about running to the Lord for protection, it could be because we’re struggling with shame.
Sometimes we feel we don’t deserve God’s extravagant love. Our hearts say, “What? Me? That can’t be true.”
Or some of us are more comfortable with the title “failure” than we are “beloved.” Perhaps we’ve never been someone’s beloved before, and we don’t know anything about unconditional love.
But that is exactly what God feels toward you.
His heart is turned toward you. He is for you, and His desire to have you with Him is bigger and stronger than any of your mistakes, any of your shortcomings, and any of the things that try to pile shame on your shoulders.
Today, take a courageous step forward and believe what your Father says about your worth. Honor Him by allowing Him to take care of you.
Interested in more? Check out some of our other prayers and declarations:
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