Psalm 18
1I love You, O LORD, my strength. 2The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies. 4The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me. 5The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 6In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears. 7Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger. 8Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth. 9He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet. 10He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind. 11He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him. 12From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire. 13The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded— hailstones and coals of fire. 14He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them. 15The channels of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at Your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. 16He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters. 17He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me. 18They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support. 19He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me. 20The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands. 21For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God. 22For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes. 23And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity. 24So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. 25To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless; 26to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd. 27For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes. 28For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness. 29For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall. 30As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. 31For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? 32It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear. 33He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights. 34He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 35You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me. 36You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way. 37I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed. 38I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet. 39You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me. 40You have made my enemies retreat before me; I put an end to those who hated me. 41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but He did not answer. 42I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets. 43You have delivered me from the strife of the people; You have made me the head of nations; a people I had not known shall serve me. 44When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me. 45Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds. 46The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may the God of my salvation be exalted— 47the God who avenges me and subdues nations beneath me, 48who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men. 49Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name. 50Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
Life is short. Where are you going?
You just read God’s own words, and one day every one of us will stand before Him. “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). This life will be over sooner than you think — do you know where you are going when it is?
The Bible says, “Man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). If you died today, would you be ready?
Are you a good person?
Most of us think we are. But God doesn’t measure us against other people — He measures us by His Law. Look honestly at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3–17):
- You shall have no other gods before Me.
- You shall not make for yourself an idol.
- You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
- Honor your father and mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness.
- You shall not covet.
Have you ever told a lie — even a small one? Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours? Have you ever used God’s name as a curse word? Have you ever wanted what belongs to someone else? Jesus said that anyone who looks with lust “has already committed adultery … in his heart” (Matthew 5:28), and the Bible says “everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15).
If we’re honest, we have all broken God’s Law — and “whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). “There is no one righteous, not even one … there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10–12).
That leaves every one of us guilty before a holy God. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and “whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). This is why our world is full of tragedy — and without Christ, every life ends in the greatest tragedy of all.
But God made a way
“God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus lived the perfect life we never could, and on the cross He took the punishment we deserved: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Three days later He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
It’s like standing guilty in court when the judge steps down and pays your fine himself. Forgiveness is a free gift — you can’t earn it: “It is by grace you have been saved through faith … it is the gift of God, not by works” (Ephesians 2:8–9). “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.” Jesus — John 10:10
What will you do with Jesus?
“Repent and believe in the gospel!” (Mark 1:15). Turn from your sin, and put your trust in Jesus alone — “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Don’t put it off — “now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
And when you turn to Him, you won’t be met with a frown — you’ll be met with a celebration. Jesus said, “there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). God says, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). He is “mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness … He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). Like the father who ran to embrace his lost son, He is waiting with open arms — and heaven throws a party when you come home (Luke 15:20–24).
If you died today, where would you spend eternity? Today you can be forgiven, made new, and have real, abundant life — now and forever.
Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which is in the public domain.