By Judy Villanueva

Psalm 18

“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.” (verse 6)

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. (verses 16-17) 

He brought me out into a spacious place;  he rescued me because he delighted in me.” (verse 19)

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.  He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. (verses 32-33)

…you stoop down to make me great.  You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. (verses 35-36)

When I look out the big picture window in our home my eyes are immediately drawn to the peak that seems to stand watch over us. It’s irresistible!  I can’t help but look at it every day, several times a day because its face changes with the light and I don’t want to miss even one of its beautiful declarations!  As clouds pass over shadows form and as the sun sets, colors dance around its silhouette.

“Look!” it beckons, morning, noon and night always inviting awe into the narrowed places of my heart and mind —the places that get small when I neglect to look at God.

Today, for the first time, I noticed a ridge I’d never seen before, a sheer rock wall that stands over a hundred feet high supporting an entire family of aspen trees.  The light, the time of year, and a moment that had my full attention gave way to an experience of God setting me in a spacious place where I could see more of His majesty!

Reading Psalm 18 today felt like standing before a spectacular mountain peak.  My inclination was to ascend up and over the 50 verses lickety-split but, I’ve learned that to hear God speak I must stand unhurried before His Word and listen as I read.  So, I took a deep breath and told myself to wake up and pay attention!

Pausing and pointing our attention at God, reading with patient expectation and noticing where we are drawn invites us to see things in Scripture we’ve never seen before.

Reading in this way becomes an experience of God speaking into our lives and, in that spacious place, we are known and loved and taught.

God hears my voice and my cries are before Him!  That my words are in God’s ears catches my attention and breathes love over me and the great consolation that I am known.  He takes hold of me and draws me out of deep waters.  He sets me in a spacious place and delights in me.  The relief and gratitude that God rescues me is overwhelming but the notion that He delights in me practically knocks me out unconscious!  It’s news that is too good to be true and while I can’t quite touch it, it touches me deeply!  Next, to read that He arms me with strength and makes my way perfect pours joy over my head and makes my faith sit up straight!

Most impactful is coming upon the words that God stoops down to make me great.

I’m not sure I can even put words to what exactly this speaks into my narrowed places but it undoes me!  It broadens the path beneath my feet, puts me in the arms of God and loves me to the core.

“Thank you, Father, for who you are always and for helping me see you a little better today. I see your great kindness in these verses and I am so grateful. There is none like you!  Amen.”

What about you?

How do you pause and point at God?  What helps you tune in to His voice?

Are you aware of the narrowed places of your soul?  Where you lack faith or a big enough vision of God?

How does it make you feel that God hears your voice?  That He delights in you?

I hope you’ll take time to pause and point your mind and heart at Psalm 18.  I pray you’ll see things about God that you’ve never seen before.

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