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PSALM 18 THANKS AND PRAISE
Written by , Rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia
1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
27 You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
29 With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.
36 You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.
46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!
47 He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me,
48 who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name.
50 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
Thanking God for what he has done is incomplete without praising God for who he is. While a human being might do something that is out of character, or inconsistent with your previous experience with him, God has perfect integrity. You may properly thank your boss for giving you an unexpected bonus even though you find him difficult to work with and leading an unattractive lifestyle. In contrast, God does what God is.
The ultimate reason for thanking God is not the specific form of the gift he has given, but the substance behind that gift, which is the revelation of himself. In reality, every gift God gives is the gift of himself. All he does is directed at drawing us into a closer relationship with him. We acknowledge that gift by praising him for who he is.
O God, may I never be so distracted by the answers to my prayers that I forget to praise you as the sovereign and loving God of all creation. To you belong all the glory and majesty and praise now and forever. Amen.