Lessons for Life with James Long, Jr.

Secure in the Storm: God Our Unshakable Rock (Psalm 18)

• James Long

Share episode

Send us a text

Title: Secure in the Storm: God Our Unshakable Rock (Psalm 18)

Short Description
Psalm 18 is David’s testimony of God’s faithful rescue in times of fear, injustice, and spiritual attack. In this episode, we explore how God hears our cries, moves powerfully to save, and trains us for greater faithfulness—reminding us that the Rock of our salvation is unshakable even when life feels unstable.

Episode Highlights

  • David’s seasons of danger, betrayal, and near-death experiences lead to a song of praise
  • God responds to the cries of His people with mighty, personal deliverance
  • The same power that rescued Israel works in the believer’s life today
  • God honors integrity and shapes His people through hardship
  • David’s personal praise points forward to Christ’s ultimate victory
  • Our Rock is not just a place of protection, but a Person—Jesus Himself

Resources and Next Steps
Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community
Explore full membership and coaching options: https://jameslongjr.org/signupnow
Download devotionals, attend live meetups, and access biblical life training to grow emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.

ABOUT JAMES and LESSONS FOR LIFE

Are you seeking hope, wisdom, and practical solutions to life’s challenges? Dr. James Long, Jr., pastor, counselor, and professor with over 30 years of experience, helps people discover God’s solutions to emotional, relational, and spiritual challenges. Each episode of Lessons for Life points you to the peace and freedom found in Jesus Christ.

Resources and Next Steps

Listen and Subscribe: Find Lessons for Life with James Long, Jr., wherever you listen to podcasts

Connect

Speaker 1:

Hey everyone, it's James Long. Do me a favor, grab your Bible and a journal and turn with me to Psalm 18. We're going to be looking at Psalm 18 today. Psalm 18 offers a sweeping testimony of God's faithfulness to those who call on Him in times of fear, injustice and spiritual attack. In this deeply personal and powerfully poetic psalm, david recounts his desperate cries for help and God's supernatural deliverance, showing us how to cling to the rock of our salvation when life feels unstable. Well, the first section we'll look at today is when you feel surrounded and struggling to stand. There are moments in life when you feel hemmed in by fear, failure or a rising tide of conflict, when the cords of death seem to be wrapped tightly around us. It says that in verse 4 of this psalm, psalm 18, verse 4. And when we're overwhelmed by sorrow, stress or shame, and whether it's the voice of condemnation from within us or opposition from others, the experience is often the same entanglement, helplessness and a longing for rescue. David knew these seasons all too well. As a warrior, fugitive and king, he walked through the years of danger, betrayal, spiritual battles and near-death escapes. Psalm 18 is his triumphant reflection after many such deliverances. But more than a song of gratitude. It's a theological testimony, a declaration that God is not only a deliverer in crisis, but a covenant-keeping Savior who trains us, strengthens us and secures our steps, even in prolonged seasons of struggle.

Speaker 1:

David opens with unfiltered affection. He says in verse 1, I love you, o Lord, my strength. This is not the language of detached doctrine. It is a speech of someone who has been rescued again and again by a faithful God. In the following verses, david piles up the metaphors my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my shield, my stronghold, in verses 2 and 3. Now, each word is drawn from his lived experience. Whether hiding in caves from Saul or charging into battle, david learned to lean on God, not as an abstract truth but as a personal refuge. If you're weary today, physically, emotionally or spiritually, psalm 18 meets you with this declaration the Lord hears your cry, he is mighty to save, he is near you in your distress and he is stronger than whatever you are facing the God who moves heaven and earth to save.

Speaker 1:

Now, one of the most powerful sections of Psalm 18 describes the Lord's response to David's cry for help. He says this in verses six through nine in my distress, I called upon the Lord. Then it goes. He heard my voice and the earth reeled and rocked. He bowed the heavens and came down. Verses six through nine David poetically recounts a cosmic rescue using language of storms, earthquakes, thunders and fire.

Speaker 1:

And this is not hyperbole, it's theological poetry revealing how deeply God identifies with the afflictions of his people. David is not saying that God literally tore open the skies each time he prayed, but he is reminding us that God's power and presence are never far when the cries of the righteous are heard by him. The imagery mirrors the scene in the Exodus and at Mount Sinai, showing us that that same God who delivered Israel with signs and wonders is the God who enters into our personal battles as well. Now, I don't know if you've ever felt like prayer is bounced off the ceiling. Well, psalm 18 assures you otherwise. God is not indifferent to your sufferings. He doesn't require perfect prayers, he only requires honest ones. He doesn't stand aloof, he comes close. The thunder, the smoke, the storms are reminders that your distress does not go unnoticed. Your cries travel into the ears of the Almighty. Verse 6, and he responds, not with apathy but with action. When anxiety overwhelms, injustice prevails or temptation presses in, the psalm calls you to remember who fights for you. The battle belongs to the Lord and he does not lose. God rescues, refines and rewards the faithful. God rescues, refines and rewards the faithful. Psalm 18 not only celebrates deliverance, but it also explores its purpose.

Speaker 1:

David pivots to a surprising theological reflection. The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness verse 20. To our ears that may sound like it's self-righteous boasting, especially in light of David's moral failures. But this is not a claim to sinless perfection. It's a statement of covenantal faithfulness. David is testifying that in the moment of danger and decision he clung to God's command and did not turn aside to idols or to ways of the wicked verses 21 to 23. And God in turn showed himself faithful to the faithful verse 25, blameless to the blameless and merciful to the humble verses 26 and 27.

Speaker 1:

There is a deep pastoral wisdom here. God honors integrity. He rewards those who walk in faith, even when the path is painful or unclear. If you're in a season of waiting or wandering, I want you to know this. Take heart. Obedience is not wasted, though the proud may seem to prosper at times. God saves the humble verse 27. He lights our darkness verse 28. He strengthens our hands verse 34. And he makes our way blameless verse 32. 34, and he makes our way blameless verse 32. The same grace that rescued us also reshapes us, and so that we are not only delivered from our enemies but we're trained for greater faithfulness. A praise that declares the faithfulness of God to the nations.

Speaker 1:

Now the final portion of Psalm 18 swells with joyous proclamation. David, now secure in his victories, lifts up his voice in worship. Watch what it says in verse 46. The Lord lives, and blessed be the rock and exalted be the God of my salvation. But this is not private praise, it's public testimony. Watch what it says in verse 49. I will praise you among the nations. Here David not only recounted past victories, but he pointed towards a greater king to come Now.

Speaker 1:

The Apostle Paul quotes this verse in Romans 15, verse 9, to show that Christ is the fulfillment of this royal thanksgiving. Jesus, the son of David, is the greater anointed, one who rescued from death and now reigns over the nations. In him, the covenant faithfulness of God finds his ultimate expression, and in him you too can find unshakable hope. God's loyalty to David is not based on merit. It is rooted in God's covenant faithfulness, and the same is true for you. Your rock is not only a place of protection. It's a person and his name is Jesus.

Speaker 1:

Now let's look at the doctrinal takeaways here. Number one we see God's sovereignty. The Lord rules over nations and nature and enemies intervening supernaturally on behalf of his people verses 7 through 15. Second, we see covenant faithfulness. God honors those who walk in righteousness and humility, not because of perfection, but because of the faithful dependence upon him verses 20 through 27. Third, we see spiritual warfare. The believer's enemies may be physical or spiritual, but God equips his people with strength, endurance and victory verses 32 through 36. Fourth, we see the verses 32 through 36. Fourth, we see the messianic fulfillment. As we've already said, david's personal praise becomes prophetic as it foreshadows Christ's victory over sin, satan and death for all of those who would trust in him Romans 15, verse 9. And then, fifth and finally, we see sanctification. God's rescue includes transformation. He not only saves, but he strengthens us for the journey ahead. We see that in Psalm, chapter 18, verses 30 through 36. Now let's take all of that doctrine and make it practical, practical theology when you feel powerless or pursued.

Speaker 1:

Psalm 18 is a gift to anyone who has felt cornered by circumstances or crushed by internal battles. It speaks to the trauma survivor, the anxious heart, the weary soul and the overburdened leader. If you're facing an enemy, within or without, this psalm offers more than just inspiration. It offers identity and security. You are not alone. God sees, god hears and he is not passive in your pain. When you feel like you're sinking, remember the rock is beneath you. When enemies advance, god is your fortress. And when you feel too weak to fight, he trains your hands for battle. And when your heart is overwhelmed, he brings you out into spacious places Verse 19,. He rescues because he delights in you Now, in counseling and discipleship or spiritual direction.

Speaker 1:

Psalm 18 invites people to reframe their story in light of God's steadfast love. It invites us to move from victimhood to victory, not by our strength, but by the mercy and might of our Redeemer. Now let's reflect and respond. Number one when you felt overwhelmed like David, entangled by fear, grief or stress, how did you cry out to God? Number two what images in Psalm 18, maybe like the rock or fortress or shield resonated most deeply with your current needs? Number three in what areas of your life are you waiting for deliverance or vindication? How does this Psalm reframe your perspective? Number four are there places where God has answered your prayers in the past that you have not yet praised Him for. 5. How is God training your hands and strengthening your heart for spiritual battles today? 6. In what ways can you make your praise public, as David did among the nations, your praise public, as David did among the nations? And number seven what would it look like to rest in the rock this week instead of striving in your own strength? Well, let us pray Well.

Speaker 1:

Father, I thank you for your kind grace and your mercy. I thank you for your sovereignty over all things, whether it's nature or nations or enemies. Thank you for your covenant faithfulness to us. Thank you that we can walk in righteousness and humility, not because of our perfection, but because your faithfulness and your son's grace and wonder. Thank you that you help us in the midst of spiritual warfare, that the enemies may be strong but that you equip us with strength, endurance and victory. And thank you, ultimately, for your son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that this psalm powerfully foreshadows his work, Jesus's work over sin, satan and death. And thank you that you're looking to transform us from the inside out. We praise you and thank you for all that you do. In Jesus name, we pray Amen.

Speaker 1:

Are you facing exhaustion, spiritual attack or fears? If you are, read this psalm, meditate on this psalm. Do me a favor as well Consider joining our free navigator level of Lessons for Life community at jameslongjrorg slash community for devotionals, meetups and training that will help you walk by faith, or explore one of our full memberships at jameslongjrorg slash. Sign up now for deeper coaching and content designed to help you grow in emotional, relational and spiritual wisdom. Remind yourself of this you are not abandoned. The rock of your salvation is your strength and your song. Well, until next time, be blessed, take care.

People on this episode

Head Shot

James Long, Jr.

Host