May 15 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 18:1-19:

¹I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
²The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
³I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
⁴The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
⁵The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
⁶In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
⁷Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
⁸There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
⁹He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
¹⁰And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
¹¹He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
¹²At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
¹³The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
¹⁴Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
¹⁵Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
¹⁶He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
¹⁸They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
¹⁹He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

Devotional

Could it be more clearly and definitely stated, that the Lord is our strength and our refuge? No one who puts his trust in him will be put to shame. Our enemies may be fierce and strong, and we so weak, "that we cannot stand a moment against them"; our courage may fail us and our faith may falter, yet we need not despair. The Lord is our strength. He will deliver us. He is "able to do it, being almighty God, and willing also, being a faithful Father" Heidelberg Catechism, 26.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing.

"When I am weak, then am I strong." "I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me." "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." Think of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah; when the mighty enemies came up against him, he prayed, "O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us .... but our eyes are upon thee." What a mighty deliverance he experienced!

O my soul, put your trust in God. "As thy days, so shall thy strength be."

Prayer

O Lord, help us to realize how weak we are in our­selves. Forbid that we should ever rely on our own strength. Help us also to realize that Thou art a mighty Helper and strong Deliverer, and that Thou wilt never fail Thy children; but that Thou wilt be with them in trouble, and wilt deliver them and honor them, as Thou hast promised. And when we have called upon Thee in the day of trouble, and Thou hast delivered us, may we not then forget Thee, but honor and glorify Thee. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: 2 Cor. 12:10; Phil. 4:13; Isa. 40:29; 2 Chron. 20:12; Deut. 33:25.

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