The Lord Is My Rock And My Savior

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. Psalm 18:2

David sang this song to the Lord on the day God rescued him from his enemies and from Saul. He spoke directly to God in the first verse and then about Him in the rest of this Psalm.

I love you, Lord; you are my strength. Psalm 18:1

After telling the Lord he loved Him, David continued using four words to describe Him.

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He used the words strength, rock, fortress, and Savior. Let’s define each of them.

Strength – means a place or means of safety, protection, refuge, or stronghold.
Rock – indicates firmness, stability, and faithfulness.
Fortress – means to protect against hostile enemies.
Savior – one who saves from any form or degree of evil.

In the second part of verse 2, David continued talking about the Lord with two more descriptive words. He referred to God as his shield and refuge. The Bible defines each of them as follows.

A shield holds deep symbolism in the Bible, representing protection, defense, and faith. A “refuge” serves as a place people can fall back to in times of hardship or danger.

If we ask the Lord to put a hedge of protection around us, what does that look like? His protection encompasses us with all six things David used to describe God.

David Called Upon the Lord, His Rock

I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. Psalm 18:3

Calling upon the Lord, his rock, and his Savior, he continued his song. David painted a picture with words about how God came to his rescue. First, he described his experience.

The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me. The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. Psalm 18:4-5

Have you ever felt that way? Amid your troubles, you could find no way to escape. In David’s case, his enemies wanted to literally put him in a grave. Instead, he called out to God.

But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears. Psalm 18:6

I recently read the following quote by Cory Ten Boom. “You can never learn that Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have.” David only had the Lord, the rock of his salvation.

Learn to trust and depend on the Lord daily as your rock. Do it before the enemy tries to put you in a corner with no way out. Early on, David had established that type of relationship with God.

How the Lord Rescued David

He continued his word picture with what it looked like when the Lord came to his rescue. I’ll summarize the next eight verses, which tell how God delivered him from his enemies.

Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the mountains shook;
Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth.
He opened the heavens and came down; He shrouded himself in darkness,
Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him and rained down hail and burning coals.
The Lord thundered from heaven; He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies. Psalm 18:7-14

Before all that happened, David, in his own strength, couldn’t find a way out of his dilemma. In the depth of his problems, all looked hopeless. But just as He promised, God didn’t abandon him.

He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. Psalm 18:16-17

In the old Western movies, when it seemed like the good guys had no way out, the bugle sounded. In rode the cavalry to save the day. With God, He’s never late; He’s always on time.

They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me. Psalm 18:18

I like that the Bible used the word support in that verse. The Lord defeated his enemy and served as David’s strength, rock, fortress, his Savior, shield, and refuge.

He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me. The Lord rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence. Psalm 18:19-20

David Received Rewards from God

What did David do to receive these rewards from God? He lived a life that pleased Him. We know that David had some flaws, but he always sought God in repentance, seeking forgiveness.

For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil.
I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees.
I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin.
The Lord rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence. Psalm 18:21-24

Have you kept the ways of the Lord? Can you stand in innocence before God? Through Jesus, you can. You see, the blood of Christ cleanses us from all of our sin. Jesus said the following.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. John 11:25-26

By His grace, God made salvation free to all who call upon the name of Jesus. We can’t earn it.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9

The Lord, however, expects our faith in Him to produce good works and acts of righteousness. We just read David’s resume, which shows his faithfulness, and below, we can see the Apostle Paul’s resume.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8