Deliverer: Day Eleven
Psalm 18:1-6, 16
I love you, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield[b] and the horn[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
In this first set devotions, we are looking to answer the question, “Who do you say that I am?” We have contemplated God as our Creator, our Promise Keeper, and the Author of life. Let’s take a few days to consider God as our Deliverer. What do you need to be delivered from? Is there an addiction or obsession? Is there a perfect body image you need to be delivered from? Are there memories that plague you at night? Is there a relationship that needs to be mended that still haunts you?
Devotional Thought:
I had been in a short-term relationship before I met my husband. It only lasted a few months, but it was toxic. It was so brief that most of my friends didn’t know about it. Yet, it left a lasting impression on my spirit. At night the memories would plague me. I felt disgust and hatred toward myself. It continued to oppress me even after ten years of marriage and two children.
One Sunday, the pastor gave an alter call at the end of the message. Altar calls were not part of my faith background and I rarely participated in them. But they were offering anointing and prayer. I was familiar with anointing for the sick, and my heart and soul were sick from years of torment. I wanted to be delivered from my memories. I wanted to be able to think on good things instead of evil. I was not healed that day, but God did deliver me and He drew me out of deep waters. It was the beginning of recognizing God as my Deliverer.
In the last line of the psalm above, the author declares that God reached down and drew him out of deep waters. Spend some time talking to God about the deep waters of your life. Write it in your journal.
