Psalm 18: Powerful Prayer of Love for God
[Read slowly and with intention…]
“I love You, Lord, my strength and my all…
You are my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God in Whom I take refuge:
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call to You, Who are worthy of all praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
The cords of death entangle me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelm me.
The cords of the grave coil around me;
the snares of death confront me.
In all my distress I call to You;
I cry only to You, Lord, for help.
From Your temple You hear my voice;
my cry comes before You, into Your ears.
The earth trembles and quakes,
and the foundations of the mountains shake;
they tremble because You are angry.
Smoke rises from Your nostrils;
consuming fire comes from Your mouth,
burning coals ablaze…
You part the Heavens and come down to me;
dark clouds now under Your feet.
You mount the cherubim and fly;
You soar on the wings of the wind.
You make darkness Your covering, Your canopy around You—
the dark rain and clouds of the sky.
Out of the brightness of Your presence the clouds now advance,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
You, Lord, thunder from Heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounds.
You shoot Your arrows and scatter the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning You rout them.
At Your rebuke, Lord, the valleys of the sea are exposed
and the foundations of the earth lay bare.
You reach down from on high and take hold of me;
You draw me out of deep waters.
You rescue me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who are too strong.
They confront me in the day of my disaster,
but You, Lord, are my unwavering support.
You bring me out into a spacious place;
You rescue me because You delight in me.
You, Lord, have dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands You have rewarded me.
For I have kept Your ways O Lord;
I am not guilty of turning from You, my God.
All Your laws are before me;
I have not turned away from Your decrees.
I have been blameless before You
and have kept myself from sin.
My Lord, in whom I love,
You have rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands.
To the faithful You show Yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
to the pure You show Yourself pure,
but to the devious You show Yourself shrewd.
You save the humble
but bring low the haughty.
You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
With Your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.
As for You God, Your way is perfect:
Your Word is always flawless;
You shield all who take refuge in You.
For Who are You, God, besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
It is You Who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
You make my feet like the feet of a deer;
You cause me to stand on the heights.
You trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You make Your saving help my shield,
and Your right hand sustains me;
Your help has made me great.
You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.
You arm me with strength for battle;
you humble my adversaries before me.
You make my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I am victorious over my foes.
They cry for help, but there is no one to save them—
to You Lord, but You did not answer.
The Lord lives! Praise to You, my Rock!
Exalted be my God and my Savior!
You are the God who avenges me,
who saves me from my enemies.
You exalt me above my foes;
from a violent man you rescue me.
Therefore I praise You forever, Lord, among the nations I always will;
I will sing the praises of Your Name.
You Who gives your Children great victories;
showing unfailing love to Your anointed.
To David and to his descendants forever, I love You, Lord,
Amen.”
[Prayer of Love to God: Adapted from Psalm 18]
Innumerable blessings come to those who praise, worship and love the Lord. Pray this powerful prayer of love for God every chance you can.
