Love, Strength and Spiritual Growth

Love, Strength and Spiritual Growth

Good morning! Let’s continue our exploration of Psalm 18, focusing on how our love for God anchors us in strength.

I love you, Lord, my strength.  Psalm 18:1

Think about the last time those words, “I love you, God,” truly resonated within you. Not as a line in a recited prayer or a familiar hymn, but as an authentic whisper from the deepest part of your being. David, a man acquainted with both royal privilege and desolate hardship, with resounding victories and relentless pursuit, distilled his experience down to this fundamental declaration, shedding all external labels and achievements.

Psalm 18 reveals David standing on the other side of immense struggle. Years of flight, conflict, and concealment lay behind him. He had witnessed God’s awe-inspiring power – the earth trembling, the heavens opening. Yet, his initial utterance isn’t a recounting of these wonders. Instead, a melody of affection rises: “I love you.”

Immediately following, as if an inseparable truth, “my strength.” He identifies the very source of his triumphs, his courage, his enduring spirit.
Perhaps David grasped a profound truth that often eludes us: loving God isn’t merely an act of piety; it is the bedrock of our resilience. When our love for God becomes our instinctive reaction, we tap into a power that transcends our circumstances. It’s no wonder David didn’t just endure his trials; he transformed them into expressions of worship.

When do you find it most challenging to let your love for God be your initial response?
In what circumstances do you feel the urgent need for your love for God to overpower your anxieties and uncertainties?

Dear Lord, Forgive me for the times I complicate the simple act of loving You. Today, I quiet my mind and simply offer what my heart holds: I love You. Not for the spectacular miracles that astound me, nor for the sheltering grace that has kept me safe, but purely for who You are. Thank You for being the unwavering strength I lean on in weakness, the song that fills my silence. Grant me the grace to make loving You my first and immediate response in every situation, trusting that within Your love lies all the fortitude I will ever need. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Love to God is not sentimental affection; it is a vital principle that fuels courage, perseverance, and unwavering faith in the face of life’s fiercest storms.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed 🙏🏼