Psalm 18:28-33

Psalm 18:28-33

28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

Thank-you, Lord, that You have lit my candle again in the midst of sickness!

29 For by thee have I run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.

Lord, I am weak…physically…emotionally…and many times spiritually. Satan and his demons are constantly coming out against me in one way or another with sickness, fear, equipment failures that frustrate ministry, stresses in relationships, etc. He makes "walls" in front
of me in various ways, trying to stop me from doing what I feel You have called me to do.

O Lord, You HAVE made this verse come true in my life over and over again in little ways, and TODAY, by faith, I want to hold onto this precious verse and KNOW that I will, also in a very BIG way run through this "troop of sickness" and "leap over the wall" of the need for antibiotics. My chest hurts, the cough won't go away, my body aches, and I feel hot. Do I have a fever? The thermometer says "no". Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord, for helping me to run through this troop and leap over the wall!

30 As for God, his way is perfect:

Yes, Lord, Your way is PERFECT, but it doesn't seem perfect until I really stop and think about it. How can Your WAY of environmental illness in my life be perfect? The "curse" is really a BLESSING, though, I know! The many "treatments" and walkings I have to do give
me more time to meditate and listen to sermons. Would I really take time to read if I wasn't flat on my back in bed at times doing treatments with castor oil? Would I listen to as many sermon tapes if I didn't have as much "quiet" time in a tub or sauna? And for my
digestive and stomach problems, I eat alone. Would I really study Scripture as much if I didn't have time to do it while eating in the mornings? Thank You, Lord, for making my way PERFECT. Thank You, too, that I can know that whatever You have planned for me in the future is Your perfect way for me – because I am Your little one.

30b the word of the LORD is tried.

It is true, Lord! By Your grace I have also believed Your spoken Word in the Bible and have taken hold of Your promise, by grace. Your Word has been TRIED again and again by many a believer, and Your words are TRUE. You have been faithful to make Your Word ALIVE for many a saint, and You have made it come "alive" for me as well today. Thank you, Lord!

30c he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

Lord, this terrible cold and infection has lasted for days and weeks, and my body aches all over! Is it the flu? Is it something serious? Or is it just detoxification? Should I take my temperature again? Antibiotics would make me worse in the long run, so please, Lord, help me to "leap over the wall" again today!

"Trust" means "to flee for protection", "to confide in ", "have hope", etc. Lord, You are my protector! You are a shield above and below and all the way around me. I am inside your spherical shield whenever I CONFIDE in You – whenever I FLEE to You – whenever I HOPE
in You. Give me grace today to CONFIDE, FLEE TO, and HOPE IN YOU!. Calm my fast-beating, nervous heart. By Your grace I SHALL leap over another WALL. Hallelujah!

31 For who is God save the LORD? Or who is a rock save our God?

You are JEHOVAH – the Self-existent One! WHO is my strong rock, the cliff or boulder where I may take refuge and hide from the enemy who shoots his darts of FEAR? You only are my ROCK, ELOHIM- my Supreme God! There is no god but YOU who can help me, so I cry unto Thee!

32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

You are making my way PERFECT! My life is all laid out- planned by You, and it is indeed perfect. Yes, I may have horrible times of sickness and pain. I may even come close to death over and over again like the missionary, Hudson Taylor, did. But I will not die until the
work You want me to do is finished. You are giving me STRENGTH!… faith (to) subdue kingdoms, (live) righteousness, OBTAIN PROMISES, stop the mouth of "lions"…out of weakness (to be) made strong…turn to fight the armies of the aliens!" (Heb. 11:33-34) Hallelujah!

I've had no real fever these last few days even when I felt like I did. You are girding me with strength and "turning to flight the armies of the aliens" as I do these hot baths – hydrotherapy. Thank You, Jesus, for giving me grace to leap over yet another WALL again
today!

DAYS LATER

A month or more of coughing…but now it's gone. Thank You, Lord, that I didn't have to resort to oral antibiotics!

33 He maketh my feet like hind's feet, and setteth me upon my high places.

Hallelujah! By Your grace, I find that I am climbing spiritual mountains! You are taking my poor, broken feet that have tripped and stumbled, and You are making them like the feet of a mountain doe that can leap over high WALLS. My footsteps in Your way will continue to go up, up, up.higher and higher, till I, like little Much- Afraid, will reach the top. How I love these lines from the book, Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard:

"He was there-standing on the peak-just as she had known he would be, strong and grand and glorious in the beauty of the sunrise, holding out both hands and calling to her with a great laugh, "You – with the hind's feet- jump over here."

"At last", he said, as she knelt speechless at his feet, "at last you are here and the `night of weeping is over and joy comes to you in the morning'" Then, lifting her up, he continued, "This is the time when you are to receive the fulfillment of the promise. Never am I to call you Much Afraid again." At that he laughed again and said, "I will write upon her a new name, the name of her God. `The Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.' (Ps. 84:11) This is
your new name:, he declared. "From henceforth you are Grace and Glory."

He bowed his head and she took his hands in hers, the scarred hands which had sown the thorn-shaped seed in her heart, and the hands with the grasp of steel which had torn out that love which had been the cause of all her pain, and kissed them while tears of joy fell on
them.

"And now for the promise", said he, "that when Love flowers in your heart you shall be loved again." Taking her hand in his, he said, "Behold I have set my love upon thee and thou art mine…Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." (Jer. 3:3)

And then Much-Afraid's pebbles of trial turned into beautiful stones and a crown."



Lord,

I have known the LOVE

Of many here below.

But no love will compare

With the LOVE that YOU will show.

On that beautiful day

When I meet You face to face,

I shall run to Thee

And find a WARM EMBRACE….FOREVER!

In Jesus' name. Amen!