Passionate Care

He brought me out into a broad place;

he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

Psalm 18:19 ESV

During August we were exploring Psalm 18, a song of praise in which David remembers how God has been with him through many dark moments. Now in a period of rest, David praises God, giving him thanks for his care and protection.

Among several things which grabbed our attention as we were studying, the passion of feeling that God had for David is evident. God rescued David because he delighted in him! He liked him, loved him, cared deeply for him! Verses 8-15 give a vivid picture of God being angered at the thought of David being wronged. The next few verses then take a more tender tone, as the image transfers to David being saved. The place where God took David in verse 19 is a poignant contrast to the ‘cords of death’ entrapping him at the beginning of the psalm.

We were also taken by how many ways David describes God as a comfort and helper. Words like rock, fortress, stronghold. Later on in the psalm David talks about how this tower of strength he has brings him through situations he would otherwise find impossible- making his feet ‘like a deer’, making him ‘secure on the heights’.

We then thought of other words and phrases we might use to describe this aspect of God from our own experiences. Phrases like ‘my listener’, ‘my friend’, ‘my help’ were suggested. Ideas like ‘My signpost’ and ‘my lamp-lighter’ show how God is prepared to go before us as well as with us. ‘My Sherpa’- someone who guides me through mountain paths and ‘my teacher’ suggest how God interacts with as as we go, enabling us to deal with whatever battles we are facing.