1 I love You, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at Your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

16 He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

20 The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 With the merciful You show Yourself merciful;
with the blameless man You show Yourself blameless;
26 with the purified You show Yourself pure;
and with the crooked You make Yourself seem tortuous.
27 For You save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes You bring down.
28 For it is You who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29 For by You I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall .
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

REVERENCE

God’s Praiseworthy Attributes:

• He is deserving of our love – v. 1
• He is our strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield, horn of salvation, and stronghold – vv. 1-3,30
• He is worthy to be praised – v. 3
• He saves us from our enemies. – v. 3
• He hears our cries for help when we are in distress – vv. 4-6
• He demonstrates his power in nature – vv.7-15
• He draws us out of trouble – v.16
• He rescues us from strong enemies – v. 17
• He supports us in calamity – v 18
• He brings us to a broad place because He delights in us – v. 19
• He blesses our obedience – vv. 20-24
• He rewards people according to their true inner character – vv. 25-26
• He saves the humble and humbles the proud – v. 27
• He is our light in darkness – v 28
• He empowers us to do exploits – v. 29
• His way is perfect – v.30
• His word proves true – v. 30

Possible Prayer Prompts

• Lord, I love You because…
• I praise You, Lord, that You gave me strength when…
• I praise You, Lord, that You are my strong rock when…
• I praise You, Lord, that You are my fortress when…
• I praise You, Lord, that You have delivered me from…
• I praise You, Lord, that You are my refuge when…
• I praise You, Lord, that You shield and protect me from…
• I praise You, Lord, that You have saved me from…
• I praise You, Lord, that You are my stronghold when I face…
• Lord, You are worthy of praise because…
• Lord, I witnessed Your power over nature when…
• Thank You, Lord, that Your word proved true in my life when…

RESPONSE:

• Because You desire righteous and blameless living, I confess…
• I confess that I did not keep Your word before me when…
• Because You desire clean hands, I confess…
• Because You save a humble people, I surrender my pride in the area of…
• Because Your word is proves true, I commit to obey You when You say…

REQUESTS:

• Today, as I am in distress about _____________, I call upon You to help me…
• Lord, please be my strong support today as I…
• Because You delight in me, I am trusting You to rescue me from…
• Today I am trusting in Your perfect ways and true word as I deal with…
• I pray for ______________ (name) in their time of distress. Please help them to…
• Remind _____________ (name) today that You delight in them and rescue them from…
• Help ______________ (name) place their trust in Your perfect ways and true word as they…
• As ________________ (name) puts their trust in You, please protect them from…

 

READINESS:

• We trust You to save us from the enemy of…
  Antiphonal group response: “You are worthy to be praised!”
• When we face the strong enemy of _____________ will trust You to rescue us.
• Lord, be our light as we encounter the darkness of…
• We will trust You to empower us to do great exploits when…
• You are our refuge and will protect us from…
  Antiphonal group response: “Your way is perfect and Your word proves true!”