New: 22 April 2025
Trusting God to
Enlighten your Darkness
Psalm 18
For You will light my lamp;
The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
Psalm 18:28 NKJV
Light in Dark Places
Going through hardships is tough. Rejection, slander and isolation are painful situations. These are dark places. Sadly, people often become despair, despondent and hopeless when facing such challenges. They don't see a way forward. The struggles do not seem to end. We get rejected by loved ones or those we helped; we get slandered by people we trusted or supported; we get isolated and ostracised based on false claims. Such situations are truly painful. These are dark places in which we need a light of hope!
David knew such hardships and God was his light who would enlighten his darkness (Psalm 18:28). Psalm 18 is an inspiring encouragement of how to face such painful hardships and dark places, and how we can learn to trust God in the process. Some tough times may last longer than we wish, yet they won't last forever. There is hope. God will have the last word. Here is some guidance of how to handle dark times with the light of God's hope, strength and wisdom. God will enlighten your darkness.
Persecution & Perseverance
Psalm 18 is about David's praise unto God for His deliverance from his enemies, including king Saul. The heading of the psalm notes the historical context. The psalm is also part of the historical narrative of the story of Saul's persecution of David and his perseverance under unbearable circumstances (see 2 Samuel 22). These words are placed before the very last words of king David (2 Samuel 23:1-7). His life reflects the faithfulness of God in the face of evil actions by a jealous king who was honoured by David as a father. Reading about all the hardships David had to endure, one would certainly understand if David would've become angry, hardened and revengeful. But he didn't. He remained humble, patient and respectful. As it is rightly said, life is not only about what happens to you, it is much more about how you respond to it. We can learn a great deal from how David responded to hardships with perseverance in the face of persecution. He did not choose this life, but he chose to trust God in this life for which he was chosen while facing challenges, often very painful challenges. God was his light in dark places. God can enlighten our darkness, too.
The root cause of Saul's persecution of David was jealousy. His anger and suspicion came from David's popularity of which Saul was jealous (1 Samuel 18:7-9). It was not David's fault; it was Saul's insecurity. Saul turned against a faithful man who served him and sought to serve God's people. David even served Saul in his distress (v 10), yet Saul 'rewarded' it by trying to kill him (v 11). David fled and had to be very wise in these challenging circumstances, as king Saul had all the resources at his disposal to hunt David down like a wild animal. And indeed, David lived in caves and forests for several years, and even had to hide his parents from the wrath of a mad king. Yet God was with him (v 12). When people are jealous of you and seek to do you harm, removing yourself from these dangers is the right thing to do. You are not obliged to remain in an abusive relationship or dangerous environment. The key to David's perseverance during persecution was his trust in God. When all else fails, God remains faithful. We can trust Him.
Three millennia later, the apostle Paul would witness of his trust in God during persecution, and how God kept him in the face of great challenges (e.g., 2 Corinthians 1:8-11; 2 Timothy 4:14-18). He was hard pressed, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Although these circumstances brought great grief and sorrow to him, he remained rejoicing; the circumstances cost him much, yet he sought to make others rich; he had lost much, yet knew a wealth not of this world (6:10). There is a way to weather the storms of persecution, slander and evil. Paul rejoiced in hope, remained patient in tribulation and was devoted to prayer (Romans 12:12). Thus he encouraged us to be! The same God who was a fortress and deliverer for David, was so for Paul.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress
and my deliverer;
My God, my strength in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn [strength] of my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the LORD,
who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.
Psalm 18:2-3
God Hears the Righteous and Humble Ones
David starts his psalm with a proclamation of his love for God (Psalm 18:1) and with who God is (vv 2-3). God truly is a rock and fortress (v 2), a theme found elsewhere (Psalm 31; see E10). God is light and strength (Psalm 18:2, 28), other themes found elsewhere (Psalm 27; see E4). It is important that we confess who God is, because negative circumstances can distort the truth about God and who He is. When things go wrong, we are tempted to fabricate a wrong image of God based on the things we suffer. This can lead to bitterness against God and our love for Him to die in us. These are two things we must avoid. Loving God is essential in the battles of life. Trusting Him as our strength is vital to remain hopeful and strong. David decided to call upon the Lord in order to be saved from his enemies (Psalm 18:3). He did not become bitter against God because of his enemies or blamed God for 'allowing it.' Rather, he trusted God for deliverance! He knew that God hears the righteous and humble ones.
Yet his circumstances were tough (vv 4-6). David made no secret of it. His prayers were always honest, genuine and direct. When death and ungodliness surrounds us, it is easy to get afraid or be weighed down with sorrow (vv 4-5). Yet the right response is to cry out to God in our distress (v 6). God hears your prayers, so keep on praying. Be devoted to God in prayer, as Paul instructed (Romans 12:12; Colossians 4:2). Prayer is a key strategy to remain at peace during trials (Philippians 4:6-7) and an important weapon in our spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-20). Often life doesn't get easier; you simply have to become stronger. Sometimes we get to know the depth of our strength only once we are challenged to the utmost. Yet as believers, we can draw on God's strength when ours fail (2 Corinthians 2:8-10; 12:9-10). We can always remain confident that God hears our genuine prayers.
David then witnesses of God's intervention. In dramatic, poetic fashion, David writes of God's majesty as He came to his rescue (vv 7-15). Evil can only triumph for a while. God has the last word. David was rescued of situations that felt like 'many waters' (v 16). There are situations in which we feel like drowning; everything is overwhelming and simply too much. Water can be very powerful and even overpowering. The image is applied to David's enemies who were strong, even too strong for him (v 17). It was a situation too hard to handle alone, yet God was faithful to him. God was his support (v 18). From circumstances that felt like drowning in a vast ocean of many waters, to a broad place of security—that's what God delivered him from! God delighted in David and showed himself faithful (v 19).
David's deliverance was, in part, because of God's faithfulness to David, and in part, a reward for David's faithfulness to God (Psalm 18:20, 24). As we know from Scripture, David wasn't perfect; no one is. The Bible doesn't seek to hide or cover up David's failures, yet it shows God's mercy to those who are upright before Him. David was an honest man who showed genuine repentance before God (e.g., Psalm 51). David was a man who 'kept the ways of the LORD' and did not wickedly depart from them (Psalm 18:21). He was blameless by keeping God's ways and statutes (vv 22-23). As Job, facing great challenges, did not turn away from God and His ways (Job 23:10-12), so David remained faithful to God. By treasuring God's words in us (v 12), we can 'come forth as gold' (v 10) when we endure hardships and trials (cf., James 1:2-6, 12). God can forge great character in us when we remain faithful to Him even in circumstances when people are unfaithful to us, even when they betray us. Jesus refused to become bitter after being betrayed to death by crucifixion in a fake trial. He dedicated His life to God's purpose, endured the cross and received His reward. David was a man after God's heart who would do God's will and fulfil God's purpose (Acts 13:22, 36). So should we be.
God shows Himself merciful to those who extend mercy to others (Psalm 18:25; cf., Matthew 5:7), yet He resists the proud and devious (v 26b). He gives grace to the humble but brings down the haughty (v 27). When such divine justice manifests in our circumstances marred by injustice and corruption, it truly is a light in our darkness (v 28). God's justice is the light in the darkness of persecution, slander and falsehood. God hears the prayers of the righteous and humbles ones—and He will act! His way is perfect, His word proven and He is a shield to protect us as we trust Him (v 30). God is faithful. He will enlighten our darkness.
Therefore I will look to the LORD;
I will wait for the God of salvation;
My God will hear me.
Do not rejoice over me, my enemy;
When I fall, I will arise;
When I sit in darkness,
The LORD will be a light to me.
Micah 7:7-8 NKJV
Prayer & Light
Micah, too, knew difficult circumstances and experienced how God enlightened his darkness (Micah 7:7-8). His prayer brought light into the dark places of the challenges he faced. The prophet, addressing the nation's injustice and corruption in order to restore God's good order as a blessing to everyone, had to endure the hardships of prophets. The truth isn't always the popular thing to say, especially when people are deeply embedded in immorality. The faithful people had perished from the land, people were 'successful at doing evil' and judges took bribes (vv 1-3). Even the best of the people had become corrupt (v 4). In a time when you can no longer trust a friend and family relationships are marred by strife and betrayal (vv 5-6), life becomes unbearable. Evil people only wait for the righteous to fall and rejoice over it (v 8). Some people simply do not want to come to the light, yet seek to hide their wicked deeds of darkness (John 3:16-21). Some people, as we see in king Saul's persecution of David, seek to slander and destroy others in order to cover their own sinful behaviour. Be aware of those who speak ill of others; perhaps they seek to cover their own evil. Those who participate in gossip are usually also part of the same corruption. Stay away from such a toxic environment, less it affects you negatively.
Micah knew that God would keep him, raise him up again and vindicate him (Micah 7:9 -10). God is faithful. He will enlighten our darkness. We, too, can trust God to be our light in dark places. He is faithful. Trust Him. Prayer brings light into our dark places, so that we can renew our strength and gain a sense of direction from God. Prayer brings light and strength.
Prayer & Strength
Praying and trusting God is important. Yet so is becoming strong during hardships. When life doesn't get easier, your only option is to become stronger. David not only waited on God in prayer, he experienced how God would strengthen him during his trials and teach him during his challenges (Psalm 18:32-34). Overwhelming circumstances can be paralysing. There is a temptation that we become passive and allow evil to go unchallenged and destroy us. We must never repay evil and become as evil as those who commit evil, yet we have a moral obligation to defend ourselves and those we love. David become stronger and wiser because of his suffering and the challenges he had to face and overcome. So should we. The ability to 'run against a troop' and 'leap over a wall' (v 29) speak of extraordinary skill that can be acquired when we face extraordinary circumstances or impossible challenges. 'Fight or flight,' as they say. David remained, righteous, blameless, merciful, pure and humble (vv 20-27), yet took necessary action to defeat his enemies and prevent them to oppress him again (vv 37-42). David became better, not bitter. And so should we.
God's gentleness made David great as God saved him (v 35) and establish his throne (vv 43-45, 50) as He had promised. Despite being hard pressed on a every side for a long period of time, God eventually brought David into a 'broad place' (v 19) and enlarged his path to walk securely (v 36). Yahweh lives; He is the living God (v 46). He is the Rock, the God of salvation and justice who delivers from enemies (v 48). David would give thanks to God for His faithful and powerful deliverance and praise His Name (vv 49-50). God shows His strength during difficult times and circumstances and makes us stronger during trials and tribulations. It is important not to lose hope and give into despair. We must keep rejoicing in hope, or else hopelessness may overtake us; it is important to be patient during tribulations, or else we might become bitter and resentful; it is important to remain devoted to prayer, so that our strength increases and we are able to face the challenged (see Romans 12:12). We overcome evil by doing good and thus prevent being overcome by evil (v 21).
Prayer & Restoration
We, too, can trust God to be our light in dark places. He is faithful. God restored David to the throne a jealous king sought to withhold from him. As we pray, we seek God for strength and wisdom to face the challenges ahead and approach them with confidence in God, who is our fortress and strength, the God in whom we trust. We trust God to restore what was lost and rebuild what was broken down. We trust God that hardships won't last forever and that He will cause a good end, no mater how hopeless a situation might look at present.