Reflections
“The Lord Lives!”The Psalm is saying that
the Lord is present to us,
here and now, just as
He was when He delivered
our psalmist David from his
persecutors.
persecutors.
The really key revelation for
us is that the Lord lives.
He lives among us; He is
present in the Word. Jesus
is in fact the Living Word.
He is present on the inside
of us through the Holy Spirit.
He is alive in the Eucharist.
He humbled himself to share
in our humanity, so that
we might have a share in
His divinity!
in our humanity, so that
we might have a share in
His divinity!
So Jesus is alive and well, standing
by us as our “rock of refuge, our
shield, our saving horn.” We join
with David in praising God and loving
Him with all our heart and all our mind,
as Jesus reminds us to do in the Gospel.
(Matthew 22: 37)
How do we apply the Psalm's verses to
our lives? We turn to our Lord to equip
us for the battles that we fight against the
evil one. Jesus becomes our fortress!
In this Psalm we hear David, crying out
to the Lord, as one cries out to his savior.
“My God, my rock of refuge, my shield,
the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
David has just emerged after being saved
David has just emerged after being saved
by God from his enemies. David has been
rescued by that same God of compassion
and mercy that is present to us.
David praises his savior in language that
is familiar to us as his spiritual descendants,
“The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock!
Exalted be God my savior!”
For David has been delivered from the
forces of evil that surrounded him.
And that same deliverance is available to
us, so long as we surrender ourselves
to God and love God with all of our heart
and soul and strength.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm affirms for us that our Lord lives! Tell of how the Lord is present
to you in your daily life. How does He reveal Himself to you?
to you in your daily life. How does He reveal Himself to you?
2. Our psalmist extols God our Savior, and speaks of the Lord as the horn
of salvation. When and how do you turn to the Lord as your rock of refuge?
of salvation. When and how do you turn to the Lord as your rock of refuge?
We see in Psalm 18, David's overwhelming love of God, as well as his understanding that God is the One who grants him victory in his conquests. If we compare this attitude to other famous conquerors, such as Alexander the Great, or Napoleon, they were men of great pride, who relished in receiving praise and glory from the people around them.
ReplyDeleteDavid never speaks of his own greatness and glory in battle, but rather gives all the glory and praise to the Lord.
In our turn we look at God, in whom we have found all that is implied in the idea of "God" - a Protector, Helper, Friend, Father, and Savior.
The Lord is my rock ... To whom we have recourse for shelter and safety, for supply, support, and divine refreshment; and in whom we are secure, and on whom we build our hopes of eternal life and happiness, and so are safe from all enemies, and from all danger.
This Psalm is a song of gratitude from David because he is delivered from his
ReplyDeleteenemies around him. He extols God, saying, "You are my rock, my fortress, my deliverer and the horn of my salvation. David takes refuge in God whenever he is in danger or threatened by evil. He calls to the Lord for help. I can see our Lord has rewarded David according to his righteousness and faithfulness. Whenever David is defenseless, our Lord gives him strength and support.
In the same way the Lord will provide the way out so I can win the battle in front of me. I am also weak and defenseless against evil foes. Whenever I am attacked or In distress I call out to the Lord for help. He reveals himself and then convicts me of my wrongdoings and reminds me of my unloving attitude and of not being humble.
At times, God comforts me and fills me with tears of joy. It is a kind of blessing, comforting to feel His presence in my daily life. When I have a contrite heart and have a right relationship with Him, His light shines on me.
I have no one to turn to except Him. Who else could help me and rescue
me except Jesus Christ when I am drowning in troubles. His right hand holds me and sustains me. Believing His way is perfect and flawless and knowing Our Lord is my strength and stronghold, I turn to Him always as my Savior. Our Lord is worthy to receive our praise and honor.