I Love You O Lord My Strength

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.
- Psalm 18:1-3

Last week I had lunch with one of the sophomore guys that I love meeting with regularly. We decided to memorize one verse a week this semester and hold each other accountable in reading the Word. He was wanting to find a verse to memorize that magnified God as a shield and protector, and I suggested the first few verses of Psalm 18.

It is probably my favorite start to a Psalm: "I love you, O LORD, my strength." I am so glad we are memorizing these verses this week because I often forget where my strength lies. God is my rock, yet I spend minutes, hours, and days placing my trust and trying to gather strength from other gods. So often I don't love God. I drag out other idols, polish them up, and try to rest in their shadows.

But they never satisfy, never grip me in powerful, loving, protective arms. It is his power that frees me from the talons of my sin. I can run and grab hold of the horn of my salvation, Jesus, and know that I am saved from my fears, saved from my doubts, saved from myself. He is my rock of refuge.

I have loved adding verse 1 to the start or end of my prayers in the last few days. It has been a great reminder of the mountain of his comfort. I love you, O LORD my strength!