Psalm 18:1-29

"Nothing twists and deforms the soul more than a low or unworthy conception of God." A.W. Tozer

David, in Psalm 18, exemplifies an exalted view of God. When David starts the psalm he identifies himself as "David, the servant of the Lord." Even though he was a King and he had done all these marvelous things he still knew who he was, a servant of the Lord. This is who we are, it is our ultimate identity, our calling, and our privelege. A final note of background on the Psalm, David is on the run from Saul who is trying to kill him; he is in the Judean Desert hiding for his life.

We expect David to start off with "Lord, help. Deliver me!" But instead he starts off with "I love you, O Lord, my strength." Sense David's passion, sense the love affair and burst of tender affection. Prayer is all about love, it is not just about bringing needs or requests. It is about coming into the Father's presence and letting him hold you close, feel his love, basking in his tenderness. This is a heart of prayer, not duty or obiligation, but of love. If you do not understand that the gospel is a love affair, then you do not understand Jesus, the Bible, or the gospel message. It is a love affair.

Read Psalm 18:1-2. David confesses his dependence on God. "You are my strength, you are my rock, my fortress, my deliverer..." That is the view we should have of God, an enlarged view of who he truly is. Psalm 18:3, call upon the Lord. That is what God's people do, they call upon the name of the Lord and as God's people we should be doing the same.

Read Psalm 18:4-19. This is a figurative story of God's rescue of David. As we read this I just picture a Dad who is working while his children are playing, all of a sudden he hears fierce barking and his two little girls screaming in fear. He takes off with all his might heart racing, swoops in and rescues his two girls from these ferocious dogs and carries them off to safety. That is the view we should have of God! A fierce warrior ready to fight and defend on our behalf, there is safety in his arms.

In your trials or problems, do you depend on God or yourself? Do you surrender your problem to God or try to fix it yourself? What is your view of God? Do you think he can handle your problems? David's view of God was not just that he was good and loving, but that he was good to him, loving to him, and delighted in him. God in heaven is crazy about YOU, believe that, accept that, and know that!

Read Psalm 18:20-24. We cannot take this in a nitpicky way. David was not saying that he was perfect or sinless. He was admitting that he was completely surrendered to God and with that came holiness. Read Psalm 18:25-27. God rescues the humble, dependent, poor in spirit and brings down the haughty, arrogant, and self-reliant. Who are the humble and what do they look like? They don't focus on self, depend on the Lord, surrendered to the Lord, obey the Lord, see themselves as servants, are not self-righteous, are grateful, are worshipers, Jesus-preoccupied, and don't care who gets the credit. Who are the haughty and what do they look like? They are self-reliant, self-preoccupied, refuse to submit to God, self-righteous, draw attention to themselves, overly critical of others, are not servants, not thankful, and need no one. The first group God will save, bless, and rescue. The second group God will bring low. Read Psalm 18:28-29. Again we see the way David views God: Great and Good. Lord My God!

How do we see God as who he really is? Pray. Ask for it. Give yourself fully to worship. Hang out with people who have an exalted view of God. Read the word, fill your mind with God's mind. Saturate yourself in scripture.

Discussion Questions
1. Talk about the way you see God, down deep. What are strong areas for you? What are growth areas?
2. Where does Psalm 18:1-29 challenge you?
3. In terms of seeing God as he really is, what are the key next steps for you?