The Lord Is My Rock: “8 Mighty Promises” Of God’s Protection In Psalm 18:2

For God is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. – Psalm 18:2

As Christ-followers, we serve a God who is not surprised at all by what we face each day. God is sovereign, so he knows all about panic, pandemics, chaos, and confusion. And he is with us no matter what we face.

God has also left us His Word, so we can go to it any time we need the reassurance of his presence. And in His Word, we find Psalm 18:2. In this one short verse, God gives us eight promises we can proclaim—about who He is and how He helps in all our circumstances.

1. The Lord Is My Rock

In times of trouble, when we feel shaky with life’s circumstances, it’s good to know that God is our rock. Someone who is extremely strong and mighty. Someone we can hold onto when we feel the earth moving. There is no one we can trust who is more reliable than the Lord.

In the chorus of the song The Solid Rock, by Edward Mote, he writes:

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.

Christ is also referred to as the Rock of Ages in the hymn by Augustus Montague Toplady.

So often the words of hymns have brought me comfort as they tend to take my eyes off my circumstances and instead place them where they ought to be, on the Lord.

Rock of ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee.

The picture I get in my mind is that of a small child being afraid who runs to his parent for protection. And once there, the child feels as if everything will be okay.

2. The Lord Is My Fortress

When the word, “fortress,” refers to a person, it means that person is not susceptible to outside influence or disturbance.

The Lord is Almighty. He cannot be influenced, and nothing shakes the Lord. It reminds me of when Jesus was brought into the wilderness for 40 days and Satan tried to tempt him. Each time, the Lord responded in the same way. He used the words, “It is written…” And he quoted verses straight from the scriptures.

God is our mighty fortress. Nothing is more powerful than our God. Nothing can defeat him. The enemy tries to make us fearful by scaring us about what could happen, what might transpire. But God is aware of his tactics and we can trust in His power.

3. The Lord Is My Deliverer

To deliver means that you are removed from pain or from a situation. At times, it could mean you will be delivered from whatever is going on around you. God delivered Daniel from the lion’s den. He was not physically delivered, but instead, God took the danger away by shutting the mouths of the lions (Daniel 6:19-23). God used an angel to ensure Daniel’s safety.

Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we have been delivered from the penalty of sin. And God has also delivered us from the power of sin because we’re told if the Son, therefore, shall make you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36).

One day we will be in a new heaven and earth where there is no sin, but where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). All because the Lord is our deliverer.

4. God Is My God

All the attributes of God are wonderful, but what makes them so great is that God is my God. He’s someone I can call on at any time of the day or night. He has given me access to his throne room where I am invited to bring him my petitions, knowing that God will answer them according to His perfect will.

God and I don’t think alike. He tells us that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55: 8-9).

“God loved us so much that he sacrificed his precious Son and when we accept Jesus and what he did for us, our Creator becomes our Father. And God becomes my God“.

I know that God cares about me and tells me to cast my cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7). I also know that whatever circumstances I experience in life, God will work together for good (Romans 8:28).

But truly, knowing that God will never leave me nor forsake me leaves me speechless, because everyone else in our lives can leave us—but our heavenly Father promises he won’t (Deuteronomy 31:6).

5. God Is My Refuge

A refuge is a shelter of protection from danger or distress. It is like finding a safe place during a storm. The fears we face about this pandemic cause even faithful Christians moments of unrest. And while we can focus on what is happening around us, it is much to our benefit if, like Peter, we keep our eyes on the Lord instead of focusing on the wind and waves crashing around us (Matthew 14:29-32).

David was often running from enemies and in danger, yet, he called out to God. The same one who helped him when he was a boy, facing a lion and a bear. And later, as he stood facing the huge Philistine, Goliath. David remembered the same God who had helped him before would give him what he needed now (1 Samuel 17:37).

All of us can probably remember when God delivered us from danger. The Holy Spirit is faithful in reminding us that God doesn’t change (Psalm 102:25-27).

6. God Is My Shield

God provides protection for us. Our adversary, Satan, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Yet, God reminds us that if we have accepted the Lord, we are God’s children and that the Spirit of God who abides in us is greater than the enemy who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

We remember when God told Abram that he was Abram’s shield and exceeding great reward (Genesis 15:1). God cares for his own. He is a loving father. And I know that if an earthly parent has this inborn desire to protect his family, how much more would the God of the universe protect his children?

7. God Is the Horn of My Salvation

The horn is representative of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. It is a promise of future protection for believers. The kind of horn meant is the deadly weapon of the wild ox. In scripture, it says “thou has exalted my horn like that of the wild ox” (Psalm 92:9). The horn is a sign of strength and a means of victory. God tells Jerusalem, “Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron and your hoofs bronze…” (Micah 4:13).

God is the horn of salvation because he uses his power to secure and protect his people. God isn’t the horn of our salvation merely to liberate us, but also to make us holy and righteous people who don’t live in fear because we trust God.

8. God Is My Stronghold

A stronghold is something that has been fortified so it is protected against attack. I love the idea that God has fortified us. He’s given us his Word, which guides us and gives us wisdom.

God has also told us in Scripture about how we are to put on the armor of God. With the full armor of God, we will be able to stand against the rulers, the authorities, and the powers of this dark world, as well as stand against the spiritual forces of evil. The full armor of God will protect us from the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:10-18).

When Paul sought the Lord because of an infirmity, God did not remove what was hurting Paul, but instead, God reminded Paul that God’s grace would be sufficient, for God’s power is made perfect in weakness. Paul then realized he would be wise to boast of his weaknesses as well as his hardships and calamities because in Paul’s weakness, God’s strength was evident (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

In our lives, there are many times when things look impossible. And even then we are reminded that Jesus said impossible things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26).

“Yes, God is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Let me pray for us”.

A Prayer for God’s Protection

Father God, I thank you for your protection. I thank you that you are Almighty and that nothing can touch us unless you allow it. Even in times like this, Lord, you are our refuge. You are our hiding place (Psalm 32:7). You are our sufficiency (2 Corinthians 3:5). You are the Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was and who is to come (Revelation 1:8). And we look forward to living eternally with you. Thank you, Lord, for your protection. We praise you for being our God. And we pray that others will see us trusting you and want to know about the hope within us (1 Peter 3:15). We pray all this in your Son’s precious name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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