Psalm 18:16  
You raise me up
    Now that David has painted a picture of the majesty and power of Almighty God, he turns his attention to his own plight. Surrounded by wicked enemies, struggling with the imminent, tangling clutches of the cords of death, David gets personal.  He has cried out to the Lord, the One who thunders from Sinai, who routs His enemies with lightning bolts, who rides upon the cherubim and who simply blows the Sea aside with a breath from His nostrils. Now David expects personal deliverance and help, and he gets it! He sees himself as a helpless swimmer, out of his depth and in danger of being swallowed by the deep waters. There were no life rafts, life buoys or lifeboats in those days. David was lost, his life was about to come to an end, there was no one to help until ….. “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.” Hallelujah!

Oh, the comfort this verse brings. No wonder Jesus slept soundly in the stern of a little fishing boat while His disciples shook with terror at the ferocity of the storm whipped up on Lake Galilee. What was there to fear? All creation is in God’s hands, Jesus Himself made all things, there was no cause for concern. The imagery here is powerful as David depicts a divine arm and hand, reaching down from the heavens, divine fingers clasp his drowning body and lift him up, out of the depths. Suddenly, he is free, he is safe and he is secure! Almighty God is his deliverer, his lifeguard. He has done nothing less for you and me, at the cross He took us out of the clutches of death and rescued us from Hades. When He emerged from the tomb, He conquered all our enemies and guaranteed us life eternal. We can never drown in our sins or be overcome by the dark savagery of our enemies for our God has saved us and holds us tightly in His hands. Hallelujah!

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be.

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