March 27, 2015 - Friday

The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction terrified me.
The cords of Sheol encircled me;
the snares of death lay in wait for me.
In my distress I called out: LORD!
I cried out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry to him reached his ears. (Psalm 18:5-7 NABRE)

Psalm 18 is a recollection of a song sung by King David "after the LORD had rescued him from the clutches of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul."* The battle imagery is intense and the emotion is extreme and direct. But the heart of the psalm is the king praising his King, the one true God, thanking him for protecting him against every enemy that surrounded him.

Consider the great humility of David. as a newly victorious king, he might have boasted of his skill and bravery. He could have sung stories of how clever and strong he was in battle. He might have described the well-trained power of his army. But instead, he sings of God's power and might. He recalls for us how God listens to his cries of distress. In the song's first line, David says, "I love you, Lord, my strength."*

Lord God, be my strength in battle. Hear my cries of distress as you heard David's. By your Spirit, show me the path of humble service to you, so that your strength may find new expression in my daily life.


Today, I will praise God who hears my voice and who answers my cries of distress.


Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary and patron of fathers, pray for us.

Blessed Francis Faà di Bruno, whose life reminds us that God’s call to reassess our life’s direction can reach us at any age, pray for us.