A Story in a Psalm

In Christ, I have all that I need to face the difficulties of this life. I am no longer hopeless. My feet are on solid ground, held stable by the Lord.

A Story in a Psalm

This week's devotions are written by my friend Jessica Hermann, former director of our college ministry at Great Hills Baptist Church.

- Pastor Danny

"I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord rescued me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

(Psalm 118:13-14)

Has anyone ever asked you what your favorite verse in the Bible is? I have always found this to be an impossible question for many reasons. Firstly, of all the truths in Scripture, how can I choose a favorite? Furthermore, not all verses make sense when taken out of their context to stand alone. In fact, none of Scripture is really intended to be read this way, as one-off statements. They are written within a context. The only possible exception is Proverbs, which are generally understood on their own, but even they are often paired with other surrounding verses or sometimes organized according to theme. Nevertheless, I have been asked the question of my favorite verse at various times throughout my whole Christian life. While I can't say today that I definitely have a single "favorite verse", there are verses that have been particularly meaningful and helpful to me in various seasons of my life. I want to share those with you this week.

When I first became a Christian, the first verse I ever memorized was John 3:16 because a pastor speaking at a youth service said, "Well of course everyone here knows John 3:16! Let's all say it together." I sat there embarrassed and even a bit concerned that I didn't know this verse that apparently everyone else knew! He made it seem like all Christians had to know this verse! So I went home and learned it. While my motives that day may have been more focused on avoiding the same awkward situation in the future, it nevertheless set me on a path of diving into the Word and memorizing it to get to know my God better each day.

The very next verse I memorized was Psalm 118:13-14. I came across it one day while reading and it jumped off the page to me because it seemed to tell my story. This is how I felt. This is my story.

"I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord rescued me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

(Psalm 118:13-14)

The Psalmist seems to be telling of the Lord's deliverance of Israel from Egypt and from exile, but the Lord had done a great deliverance in my life too. He delivered me from my sin. He delivered me from the domain of darkness. I was on the edge in my life. I was young and depressed and absolutely hopeless as an atheist. I didn't see any hope on the horizon, and though I never made a plan of suicide, I don't think that I was too far off from it... But God. "But the Lord rescued me!" I had no ability within myself to step into the light, but the Lord revealed Himself to me and brought me into the light. He rescued me from the edge.

In Christ, I have all that I need to face the difficulties of this life. I am no longer hopeless. I am not on the edge of a cliff, fixing to tumble into an eternity of suffering and hopelessness. My feet are on solid ground, held stable by the strong hand of the Lord who is my salvation. Even when I feel a bit unsteady, the reality is that He is holding me fast. Take joy in that today. The strong hand of the Lord not only brought you to salvation but holds you there in power.

Verse 14 says some amazing things about God.

He is my strength. I have no power over sin or darkness on my own. I have no ability to rescue myself. I look to Him and He is my rescuer. He holds me up and defends and delivers me. He is powerful over sin and darkness. He is victorious over the enemy. He is a strong and steady tower. He is my safe space, and with Him, I have a great peace, because I know that I am protected by His limitless strength.

He is my song. The Lord is the object of my praise. He is the song that I sing. I will praise Him and Him alone. I praise Him for what He has done. I sing of His grace and His mercy. The Lord is my joy. I take great pleasure in who He is, and I am moved to worship and celebrate Him because of who He is.

He has become my salvation. I am rescued because of Him. He delivered me through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He saved me from death and saved me for worship.

This is my story, my reality. If you are in Christ, this is your reality too. As a new believer, it taught me to understand who God is and what He has done for me. It gave me words to describe my reality. Now it serves as a reminder of all He has done. I hope this verse is as encouraging to you as it was and is for me.