Psalm 18:28 “You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”

[You are light itself, Lord, shining brilliantly across the eons of time, shining long before the sun and stars were created. And now you are the source of light for our lives—physical light as well as the light of wisdom, insight, guidance and warning. You actively grant direction when we have no idea what to do. I praise you for your faithful, sure, constant presence, your leading us on in the challenges of life.

You are the One who brought us out of the dominion of darkness. As it says in Proverbs 4:19, “The way of the wicked (as we were) is like deep darkness, they do not know what makes them stumble.” In contrast, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever more brightly until the full light of day.” Help us, Lord, not to look back on the darkness, but to look ahead at your guiding light, moving ever more into it’s full strength that we may see and void what can make us stumble.

I praise you that darkness cannot hide anything from you, Lord, for you see all and you let us know what is necessary, giving us enough light so that we can move ahead with you, doing what is best, bringing you glory.]

Psalm 18:29 “With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.”

[This is a beautiful declaration of David’s dependence on you, Lord, seeing his own weakness in the light of your wondrous power. Humanly speaking he could, on his own, easily move toward an enemy and climb a wall, but he knew from experience that doing so in your power is vastly different than doing it on his own.

There is no record of David ever being wounded in battle. He knew your protection, your power, your provision in the hand-to-hand combat of dozens if not hundreds of battles he participated in. He declared, “Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle” (Psa. 140:7).

Therefore it was in your active power that he trusted. He saw clearly that in the common doings of the day he needed your help and he prayed for it.]

Lord, help me to be that dependent on you, realizing I need your power in even the mundane things of life. Help me to be consistent in praying through my day, in asking for your guidance, protection and power in all that I do. May prayer be the foundation of all as I remember your words in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”