The LORD Lives

Psalm 18:26

The LORD lives...

...............

These three words may seem obvious, or so simple as to not need elaboration, but in fact these words are a helpful summary of the entirety of Psalm 18.  The LORD lives.

When we begin the Psalm, we meet David in the midst of some overwhelming circumstances.  He is surrounded by his enemy ("the cords of death encompassed me"), but he quickly turns from his distress to the only true source of deliverance, Yahweh.  Verses 7-19 describe in vivid detail the awe-inspiring power and intervention of the Creator God, breaking through the heavens to reach down his mighty hand and lift his servant David out of the enemy's hands.  When God exhales, the foundations of the earth are laid bare (v. 19).  This description of God's intervention leaves me trembling.

Verses 20-30 should remind us of Psalm 17, as David claims that God has honored his own blamelessness and shown favor because of his own righteousness.  While we discussed that conundrum in detail already, it is helpful to note how verse 27 sheds even more light on the matter: "For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down."  David's claim of righteousness, far from being a haughty boast, was in fact a claim of desperate humility.  Only the humble man who admits his own weakness and regularly calls out for God's assistance and grace can truly be considered "righteous."

But, in spite of this humility in weakness, the man of God must not assume that God will do His work independent of our actions.  Verses 31-45 make it clear that David was actively involved in overcoming his enemies, even though he attributes his success entirely to the intervention of Yahweh.  "For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me."  If Psalm 18 is a model for the kinds of prayers that God will answer, then we must be ready to be actively involved in "answering" the prayer ourselves, so to speak - getting our hands dirty in the fight against sin and the fight against the Enemy as we seek to love and share truth in a dying world.

So, how is this all summarized in those three simple words - the LORD lives?  This weekend, our pastor preached a sermon on prayer from Daniel 9.  The example of Daniel served to drive home the message that God is truly alive in the life of the believer!  He lives!  He is at work through our prayers of faith.  Our prayers are not a futile exercise, but rather, when we pray confidently in light of what God has promised in his Word, the very earth will tremble and hosts of angels will be moved to accomplish the work He has set out to do.  He is sovereign, but he has ordained the means of OUR prayers to accomplish His miraculous work in the world.  We MUST pray expecting the God who truly lives to truly intervene and act in the world.

Here's how it sounds from Daniel's mouth (Daniel 9:18-19):

O my God, incline your ear and hear.  Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name.  For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, pay attention and act.  Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.