Notice here the similarity to David’s own description of God being his rock and foundation. The newspapers on all sides of the globe are filled with daily stories of racism, genocide, human cruelty, crime, terrorism, war, and human suffering. This fortress was built as the perfect refuge: I believe this fortress brings David’s metaphor to life. Let the oceans roar and foam. Heavenly Father, You are the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, in all the heavens and on the earth. They both hoped and prayed for deliverance, but ultimately they knew that regardless of whether they were delivered or not–, Gretna Middle School / Sundays @ 9am & 10:30am. Last week we talked about how Saul became so jealous of David that he tried to pin him to the wall with a spear––≥ TWICE! The gardener prepares the soil, makes sure it has enough sunlight and water… he frequently comes out to check on the flower to make sure it is growing and prunes it as needed. The Apostle John tells us in 1 John 4:19 that, “we love because he first loved us.”. It means that the creator of the universe cares about our daily struggles and shares in them with us. And that’s what we really want as well, isn’t it? 4. Yes, loving Him, having confidence in him, and giving him the glory are all pertinent–but obedience is where we live out those attributes in practical reality. For anyone struggling with how to cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, or really any kind of struggle, I recommend Jill Williams' excellent sermon -- "Out of the Chaos." And this is the beauty of the Gospel message. Ps. Hurricane Irma has already caused great destruction on its way to the U.S. mainland, in Barbuda, St. Martin/St. Their childhoods were a daily and nightly struggle for survival. “The Bible’s words are our hope, ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. But in every situation, whether it is a blessing or a trial, we rest in God’s loving care. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. David was running for his life, and Paul faced execution. God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. And for what felt like 20 minutes, we circled the airport feeling like at any minute we were going to fall out of the sky. I used to fly around the country quite a bit for work and on one particular flight into Baltimore I felt like living in a movie. So if you brought your Bible, please turn with me to Psalm 18; the Book of Psalms is right smack-dab in the middle of the Bible. “You are an unceasing spiritual being with an eternal destiny in God’s great universe.” -Dallas Willard. And the reality is, every single one of us in this room is going to experience this feeling at some point in our life; if you haven’t already… it is these moment where we find out where our hope really lies. It is filled with wisdom, spiritual perspective, and practical ways that all of us can "move toward places of pain" and "become wounded healers to God's wounded world." Life is much more than just the here and now, or even the years on this earth. Firstly, God is our refuge. God is with us, and we can "be still" when we face struggles and storms, and know that our God is God… More dangerous hurricanes are on the way in the U.S. and Mexico, promising more destruction. For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I am not guilty of turning from my God.”, Now I’ll be honest that at first I really struggled with David’s words here… I thought he came across as being proud and self-righteous, and his statement that the Lord rewarded him according to his righteousness is, (at it reads), not even theologically correct. When we cross the line of faith, we get to relinquish trying to run our own lives and enter into the Kingdom of God where we are deeply loved and cared for. So out of thankfulness to God, David sits down to write a song… and that song is Psalm 18, which probably more than any other passage shows us why David was a man after God’s own heart.

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