DAY 046: JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR – PSALMS 18-20

February 14, 2024

PSALMS 18-20
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DAY 046: JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR

We continue our journey today through the book of Psalms. Psalms is a book of poetry with many authors, although the majority, including the ones in a reading today, were written by David. King David is a very interesting man. He was a sinner who had a deep relationship with God, but David was not perfect. Many of his sins are recorded in the Bible, and some of his psalms reflect his sins.

Take a few moments to pray for God’s perfect understanding of the journey we are about to take. Ready? Read Psalms 18-20. Let’s begin our journey!

In this, the first book of Psalms, the majority of the psalms are written by King David. Throughout the book of Psalms, nearly every psalm can be classified as a psalm of Lament or a psalm of praise. A lament is a cry to the Lord, asking Him to do something, most often when we are in pain, confused, or angry. A psalm of praise is a prayer of joy and celebration, thanking the Lord for His work.

Psalm 18-20: David proclaims his love for God and describes God as his rock, in whom he takes refuge, and his horn of salvation. In this Psalm King David is seeking deliverance from his enemies, by God. God answers King David’s prayer and delivers him. Our God, David’s God, is a creator! We see His creation, His variety in creation, every day! God’s word is perfect and we need to model our lives after it. David’s relationship with the Lord did not miraculously spring up one day – David had to work at it! David had to grow and change! David had to seek the Lord! David’s life took tumbles when he failed to include God in his plans. Take a moment and think of how tempting it would be for David to forget about God thinking to himself, I am king over all Israel. It would be easy to get sidetracked. David learned on his life’s journey that nothing is better than a life lived through God. (Psalms 18:1-20:9)

Read chapters 18 through 20, and ask yourself these questions: Are these psalms of lament or praise? How do you know? What deeper understanding of David is provided through these psalms? Take a moment and offer at least one praise and one lament from your own life.

Godspeace!