Introduction: A Love Song Forged in Fire
I want you to imagine the author of this psalm, David. Do not picture him sitting in a
quiet, ornate study, penning poetry as a hobby. Picture a man whose hands are calloused from the sword and the shepherd's staff. Picture a man who knows the cold dread of hiding in a cave, listening for the footsteps of an army sent to kill him. Picture a man who has known betrayal from his own family, ridicule from his enemies, and the crushing weight of his own sin.
This is the man who picks up his lyre, and the very first words that erupt from his soul
are not a complaint, not a question, but a raw, passionate declaration of love: "I will love thee, O LORD, my strength."
This is not a cheap or sentimental love. This is a battle-tested, fire-forged love. It is a love born from experience. It's the love of a man who was drowning and was pulled from the water, the love of a man who was cornered and saw a way made where there was no way.
Psalm 18 is David’s national anthem of personal deliverance. It is his testimony set to music. And because the God of David is the same yesterday, today, and forever, this is not just David's song. It is our song. It is a divine blueprint showing us the journey from desperation to deliverance, and from deliverance to dominion. This morning, let's walk this sacred path together and discover three movements in this symphony of salvation: The Cry of Profound Distress, The Coming of the Powerful Deliverer, and The Confidence
of the Empowered Delivered.
I. The Cry of Profound Distress (vv. 4-6)
David begins his story not with his strength, but with his weakness. Look at the visceral imagery in verses 4 and 5:
"The sorrows of death compassed me..."
"The floods of ungodly men made me afraid."
"The sorrows of hell compassed me about..."
"The snares of death prevented me."
The Hebrew word for "sorrows" here, chebel, can also be translated as "ropes" or "cords." Can you feel that? David is saying, "The ropes of death were wrapped around me, tightening their grip. The snares, the traps of death, cut off my escape." He felt utterly entangled, immobilized, and suffocated by his circumstances. He speaks of the "floods of ungodly men." The term for "ungodly" is Beliya'al, which means worthlessness or wickedness. It was a torrent of evil, a flash flood of godlessness
that threatened to sweep him away.
Have you ever been there? Perhaps it wasn't a literal army, but it felt like one. Maybe it was the flood of bills you couldn't pay. Maybe it was the ropes of a secret addiction, a private struggle that has you bound. Maybe it was the snares of a doctor's report that cut off your hope for the future. Maybe it was the torrent of lies from the enemy, whispering "You're worthless. You're finished. There's no way out."
In our sophisticated, self-reliant age, we are taught to suppress this feeling. To put on a brave face.
But David shows us the path of the believer. He doesn't deny his distress; he directs it. Verse 6 is the turning point of the entire psalm, and it can be the turning point of your entire life: "In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God."
This is more than a polite prayer. The word "cried" here is a shriek for help. It is the raw, unfiltered, desperate cry of a child who knows he is in mortal danger and calls for his father. It is an admission of total inadequacy. It is the beautiful, humble posture of faith that says, "God, I cannot do this. I am finished without You."
That cry did not echo in an empty cavern. The psalmist says, "he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears." Your honest cry is not an annoyance to God; it is music to His ears. It is the sound of a heart turning to its true home.
II. The Coming of the Powerful Deliverer (vv. 7-19)
What happens when the cry of faith reaches the throne of grace? All of heaven is
mobilized, and all of creation is shaken. Verses 7 through 15 paint a picture of a
"theophany"—a visible, dramatic manifestation of God's presence.
"The earth shook and trembled..." God's response to your problem is foundational. He can shake the very ground on which your problem stands.
"He bowed the heavens also, and came down..." Think of the stunning intimacy of this! The God who flung the stars into space bends the fabric of the cosmos to enter your personal crisis. He doesn't send a memo. He doesn't delegate. He comes down.
He rides on the wind. Smoke and fire, symbols of His purity and power, surround Him.
His voice thunders, shooting forth "hailstones and coals of fire." This is not the picture of a tame, passive God. This is the Almighty Warrior King, rising from His throne because His child cried out for help.
Now, we may not see a literal storm cloud when we pray. But have you not seen the
modern-day equivalent? Have you ever been in a flood of financial trouble, and
suddenly an unexpected check arrives? That is God drawing you out of "many waters." Have you ever battled a "strong enemy" like depression, and a friend calls with the exact word of encouragement you needed to break through the darkness? That is God sending forth His arrows. Have you ever felt the "coals of fire" of the Holy Spirit's conviction, burning away a secret sin and setting you free? That is the coming of your Deliverer.
And then we come to the heart of it all in verse 19: "He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me." A "large place" signifies freedom, space, and unrestricted blessing after being in a tight, constricted spot. And the reason for this great rescue? It is not "because I deserved it." It is not "because I was so good." It is simply, profoundly, "because he delighted in me."
This is the scandalous grace of the Gospel. God's love for you is not based on your
performance. If you are in Christ Jesus, the Father delights in you with the same delight He has for His own Son. Your deliverance is a testimony not to your worthiness, but to His wondrous love.
III. The Confidence of the Empowered Delivered (vv. 28-32)
God's work is never halfway. He doesn't just rescue you from the pit; He equips you for the palace. He doesn't just save you from your past; He strengthens you for your future. The tone of the psalm now shifts from God's work for David to God's work through David.
Verse 28: "For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness." He doesn't just tolerate our darkness; He invades it with His light. The candle of your spirit, your hope, your purpose—which the world and the enemy try to snuff out—He relights it with the flame of His own presence.
And with that light comes a new power. Verse 29 is a verse to memorize, to shout, to live by: "For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall." What is the "troop" that stands before you today? Is it a hostile work environment? A barrage of daily temptations? A family situation that feels like a constant battle? By God, you can run right through it. What is the "wall" that is blocking your path? Is it the wall of a past failure? The wall of a financial impossibility? The wall of a broken relationship that seems beyond repair? By
your God, you are empowered to leap over it. This is not positive thinking. This is faith-filled action, rooted in a faith-filled confidence.
And that confidence rests on one unshakeable reality, declared in verse 31: "For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?" There is no other source. There is no other foundation. All other ground is sinking sand. He is the one, as verse 32 says, who "girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect." He wraps you in His strength and sets your life on the course He designed for it.
Conclusion: Jesus, Our Rock and Our Salvation
As we close, we see that as glorious as David's song is, it is a mere echo of a far greater song. David, in his distress and deliverance, is a signpost pointing to the greater David, the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.
Did David face the "sorrows of death"? Jesus took the full measure of death and hell on the cross for us.
Did David cry out from his distress? Jesus cried out from the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?", taking our separation upon Himself.
Did God shake the earth for David? When Jesus rose, the earth quaked, and the stone
was rolled away, declaring His victory over our "strong enemy" of sin and death.
Did David leap over a wall? Jesus leaped over the final wall of the grave itself, securing for us an eternal deliverance.
He is the ultimate fulfillment of this psalm. He is the Rock of Ages, cleft for you.
So, I ask you today, where are you on this journey? Are you in that place of distress, with the ropes tightening around you? Your journey to victory begins not with a plan, but with a cry. Stop staring at your problem and start crying out to your God. He is listening. Are you standing in the "large place," having been recently delivered? Then let your life be a song of praise. Don't forget what He has done. Your testimony of His delight in you is the very key that can unlock someone else's prison.
Or are you facing a new troop, a new wall? Then stand on the promise of verse 29. Gird yourself with His strength. Your deliverance from yesterday is your fuel for today. The God who lit your candle will help you leap that wall.
And if you are here today and you do not know this God, if you feel like you have no rock to stand on, I have the best news in the world for you. The Rock is available. His name is Jesus. Today, you can be delivered from the ultimate strong enemy—sin and death—by calling on His name.
Let us all, together, make the first verse our own personal, passionate declaration. Let us make it the theme of our lives. "I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
